Manic Street Preachers have shared a trailer for their upcoming new album ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’ – you can watch it below.
Frontman James Dean Bradfield can be heard in the opening moments of the album teaser singing the lines “We live in Orwellian times” from the new song ‘Orwellian Times’, which Nicky Wire spoke to NME about earlier this year.
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“We’ve written one really brilliant Manics song called ‘Orwellian’,” Wire told NME. “We’ve demoed that and it feels like a bit of a signpost to where we’re going. It’s got a bit of an ‘If You Tolerate This’ retro-futurism about it. It’s our shining light at the moment.”
Elsewhere in the trailer – which you can watch below – a further clip of a song which the Manics shared on their social media accounts earlier this week can be heard, with Bradfield singing: “Is this just our beginning?” over a piano-led instrumental. That new track is expected to be released tomorrow (May 14).
Bright, flashing neon diamond-lights feature throughout in clip. They’re placed in a variety of settings including beaches, forests and more urban environments in the video. All group members can be seen walking through a field at one point, while another shot shows Wire alone on a beach.
Mid-clip, a lengthier excerpt from a song can be heard which is ‘Futurology‘-like in sound. “Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn, the future fights the past, the fox begins to burn. I’ll walk you through the apocalypse where me and you could co-exist,” Bradfield sings.
There’s also a hint of a new collaboration as Bradfield is heard singing alongside an as yet unnamed female singer mid-clip.
Towards the end of the trailer, a more up-beat sound can be heard which has hints of ABBA. Previously, Wire had described their new album as being like “The Clash playing Abba.” The song also featured some political lyrics: “Don’t let those boys from Eaton suggest that we are beaten, no, no, no…can be free and equal.”
Asked about the sound of their new material earlier this year, Wire told NME: “It’s very broad – it feels like an expansive record. ‘Resistance Is Futile’ certainly felt more tight and ‘pop’ in a Manics sense. Everything was really melodic and concise. This album just feels broader. It’s got a wider landscape, sonically. It’s early days, but ‘Orwellian’ feels like the one track to guide us. I wouldn’t call it a directly political song, but it has that element of the times that we live in.”
He added: “Lyrically, I’m just working things out. Since losing both my parents, I’ve been kind of overwhelmed at that situation. There’s a deep-rooted sadness and melancholia that overhangs everything.”
The Manics will play their rescheduled Cardiff Arena shows for the NHS in July 2021. The concerts were originally due to take place this December at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, with one free for healthcare workers and the other a fundraiser for health service charities.
They’ve also announced more details of a show at at Halifax Piece Hall in September, with support from British Sea Power, Adwaith and The Anchoress.
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