Words by Sam Armatys
Earlier this week, UK act Bloc Party released the first taste of their fifth album via social media. Fans shouldn’t get too excited, as the 23-second snippet of assorted sounds overlaying images of a recording studio and a cemetery doesn’t give very much away. In the book of musical teasers this will certainly go down as an anti-climax.
Front man Kele Okereke has been vocal over the last few months about the band producing a new record so this comes as no surprise; but, mystery and intrigue surround who currently makes up the group.
— Bloc Party (@BlocParty) May 26, 2015
Drummer Matt Tong quit the band last year and was followed earlier this year by the departure of bassist Gordon Moakes (now focusing on his new outfit Young Legionnaire). There has been no word of replacements for the pair, and there are questions of whether Okereke and guitarist Russell Lissack will continue as a duo.
In a world exclusive with Triple J back in March Okereke didn’t give anything away about the band members, but gave an acoustic preview of a track called Exes which he said may or may not make the final cut.
The group is booked for the L.A FYF Festival in August, so the wait surely won’t be too long before fans can meet the latest iteration of Bloc Party and get the first listen of their new tracks.
When we interviewed Kele last year, we asked him about a new BP album. He has this to say: “I don’t know… there were discussions being had. I feel that every time you complete a project, the way you view things changes and the way you see what you do changes. The next thing I do creatively will have elements of this world or elements of this approach. That doesn’t necessarily mean it will sonically sound like this, but I feel like I’ve learned more about myself. I’ve learned more about my voice and my songwriting as a producer. Of course, it’s going to change somewhat with what I choose to create next. How it changes, I don’t really know but that is part of the beauty of being creative – you don’t need to have the answers, you just need to have the instinct.”