Vancouver powerhouse rock duo Japandroids return with their first new song in seven years, “Chicago,” which will appear on their latest album. Fate and alcoholout October 18 via Anti-.
“Chicago” finds Japandroids doing what they've always done best: massive guitars relentlessly struggling to soar above a drumming battlefield, lyrics that capture the bleak beauty of living life to the fullest, even if the cost is some self-destruction. “Lady, I'm sorry / I'm sweating through my shirt,” Brian King sings on the chorus, “Now, my body's gonna burn/In front of everybody/I'm sorry, baby/We tell it like we see it in Chicago.”
Fate and alcohol will be Japandroids' fourth album, following 2017's Close to the Wild Heart of Lifeas well as their 2020 live album, Massey Fucking Hall. The duo recorded the new record in Vancouver with longtime collaborator Jesse Gander.
In a statement, King discussed the band's goals for their latest record, saying that he and drummer (and occasional vocalist) David Prowse “wanted to expand the definition of a Japandroids song.” To do this, they left their demos “quite open and malleable” to allow for more experimentation and flexibility when they finally hit the studio.
“At the time, this approach was new and exciting, and it inspired us to be bolder, to take risks,” King continued. “We were aiming for a more cinematic take on our signature sound. This time, we made sure every song broke in the jam area before Jesse heard it. If you listen to our first demo of 'Chicago', it's obviously a lot rougher than what you hear on record, but it's all there. Even on a dead iPhone recording, the energy was evident and the feel cut through loud and clear.”
King and Prowse formed Japandroids in 2006 after meeting at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. They released their first album, After-Nothingin 2009, then a collection, No Singleswhich collected a pair of previous EPs from 2007 and 2008. Their 2012 album, Holiday Rockgained widespread acclaim and after an extensive tour, they hit back before returning in 2017 with Close to the Wild Heart of Life.
Reflecting on the band's journey, Prowse was modest but proud, saying, “I don't think we're the most technically proficient band in the world. And we're not the most original or provocative band in the world. But we've always put a lot of passion into what we do and I think that resonates with a lot of people. And I'm really grateful that we could be that band for the world, in the same way that so many bands were for us.”
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