SNOW PATROL has announced their long-awaited return with a new album. Titled 'The Forest Is The Path', the album is the Northern Irish band's first in six years, following 2018's 'Wildness', and is scheduled for release on September 13 via Polydor Records.
It is produced by Fraser T Smith (Adele/Dave/Stormzy) and the band. Now made up of the trio of Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly and Johnny McDaid, Snow Patrol offer the first taste of their extraordinary new album with first single 'The Beginning', as well as announcing details of a UK and Ireland tour in 2025 .
'The Forest Is The Path' was written by Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly and Johnny McDaid and has twelve tracks. Fraser T Smith, Will Reynolds, Roy Kerr and Troy Van Leeuwen (QOTSA) also contributed to the writing of some of the songs on the album. The album and single artwork feature paintings by Gary Lightbody.
'The Beginning' is the capstone to the band's eighth studio album, written during a trip to Somerset. Gary takes up the story, “The first day we wrote The Beginning, from beginning to end.” “And he did the voice in one take.” Johnny says. “Immediately after writing the lyrics. So it has that trippy quality where you feel like you're seeing someone's soul.”
Listen to 'The Beginning' – BELOW:
'The Forest is the Path' is an album rooted in reflection, introspection and interrogation. One of its fundamental pillars, says Gary, was the idea of love from the distance of time. “I haven't been in a relationship for a long time, 10 years or more, so for me long distance love meant the way a relationship stays in your memory from a distance of, say, 10 years. That's not something I would have thought of before as a way to write about love. It's as if, when you're in love, you're standing in the lobby of the Empire State Building. When you have broken up with that person, you are on the street. You can still see the building, but you are no longer there. And when 10 years have passed, now you're standing in Brooklyn looking at the Manhattan skyline.”
It is a topic addressed without flinching and resolutely in 'The Beginning'. “That's kind of a summary of this album.” Gary continues. “It's a way of looking at various mistakes, any pain you've caused, from a place where nothing hurts anymore, except the memory, when you return it to your mind. The memory itself is full of pain, but everything around it is not. You have this fireball in your hand, but now you have gloves on.”
'The Forest is the Way' track list:
1. Everyone
2. The beginning
3. Everything is here and nothing is lost
4. Your heart at home
5. This is the sound of your voice
6. Hold me in the fire
7. Years that fall
8. Never get tired
9. These lies
10. What happens if nothing breaks?
11. Speaking of hope
12. The forest is the path
Snow Patrol have today announced details of an 8-date UK and Ireland tour in February 2025, including London's O2 on February 15. Fans who pre-order The Forest Is The Path in the Snow Patrol store will have pre-sale access to the tour. Tickets will go on pre-sale on Wednesday, June 5 at 10 am and general sale on Friday, June 7 at 10 am
The dates are:
February 15 O2 London
February 16 Birmingham Resorts World Arena
February 18 Cardiff Utilita Arena
February 19 Hull Connexin live
February 21 Glasgow OVO Hydro
February 22 Manchester Co-op Live Arena
February 25 Dublin 3Arena
February 27 Belfast SSE Arena
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