After playing the last of their 200 shows in more than 40 countries in support of their 2012 album ‘Celebration Rock,’ Japandroids took a break to rest and recover after their last show in November of 2013. The band wouldn’t play again for three years. Last month, they made their return to the stage, playing intimate shows in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, London and New York City, in which they treated fans to their favourites from ‘Celebration Rock’ and ‘Post-Nothing,’ and previewed a handful of new, unreleased songs. Now, the band has announced their third album, ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life,’ out in Canada via Arts & Crafts on January 27, 2017. You can pre-order the album now at japandroids.com.
Japandroids has also shared the first single from the record, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life. A special edition split 7″ will also be available, featuring a B-side cover of the Talking Heads’ Love → Building on Fire, with purchase of pre-order. Listen to Near To The Wild Heart Of Life via Soundcloud below.
‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’ was written clandestinely throughout 2014 and 2015 in Vancouver, Toronto, New Orleans, and Mexico City. The record was (mostly) recorded by Jesse Gander, who had previously recorded both ‘Post-Nothing’ and ‘Celebration Rock,’ at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, BC (September-November, 2015). True Love And A Free Life Of Free Will was recorded by Damian Taylor during an exploratory recording session at Golden Ratio in Montreal, QC (February, 2015). The album was mixed by Peter Katis at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT (May, 2016) and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York, NY (July, 2016).
Like ‘Post-Nothing’ and ‘Celebration Rock,’ the album is 8 songs. This is because 8 songs is the standard template for a great rock n roll album: ‘Raw Power’ by The Stooges, ‘Born To Run’ by Bruce Springsteen, ‘Marquee Moon’ by Television, ‘IV’ by Led Zeppelin, ‘Horses’ by Patti Smith, ‘Paranoid’ by Black Sabbath, ‘Remain In Light’ by Talking Heads, ‘Master Of Puppets’ by Metallica, etc.
Like ‘Post-Nothing’ and ‘Celebration Rock,’ the album was sequenced specifically for the LP. On ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life,’ side A (songs 1-4) and side B (songs 5-7) each follow their own loose narrative. Taken together as one, they form an even looser narrative, with the final song on side B, In A Body Like A Grave, acting as an epilogue.
‘Near to the Wild Heart of Life’ track listing
01. Near To The Wild Heart Of Life
02. North East South West
03. True Love And A Free Life Of Free Will
04. I’m Sorry (For Not Finding You Sooner)
05. Arc Of Bar
06. Midnight To Morning
07. No Known Drink Or Drug
08. In A Body Like A Grave
