For a while there, it looked like all things Bloc Party had come to an end. Bassist, backing vocalist and percussionist Gordon Moakes left the band earlier this year following drummer Matt Tong‘s 2013 departure; front man Kele Okereke released his second solo album, Trick; guitarist Russel Lissack started working on various other projects. It was as though the hiatus had ended and the band was just finished all together.
However, when he was touring in support of Trick earlier this year, Okereke announced that Bloc Party was far from over. In an interview with triple j, he confirmed that there would be a fifth album soon to come from the band. The questions it raised were ones of replacements and style – how would things be changing? Now, with a release date and album title locked in alongside a new single, festival appearances and new permanent members, those questions have been answered.
Having added bassist Justin Harris (Menomena) and YouTube discovery Louise Bartle on drums to the lineup, Lissack says that he and Okereke have taken things back to how it used to be. “Bloc Party started with just Kele and I, and we used to write the songs together, and we found other people and grew from that. It feels like that’s happened again.” It’s resulted in a new album, HYMNS, which is set to drop very early next year. Marking a musical departure, the album is said to be very much influenced by the band’s interest in electronic music – something that won’t come as too much of a surprise for fans of Okereke’s solo work.
The album drops on Janurary 29 in Australia. You can pre-order it now to get an instant download of the new single The Love Within.
Bloc Party will appear at Falls Festival. Check out dates and sideshows.
HYMNS Tracklisting:
1. The Love Within
2. Only He Can Heal Me
3. So Real
4. The Good News
5. Fortress
6. Different Drugs
7. Into The Earth
8. My True Name
9. Virtue
10. Exes
11. Living Lux
12. Eden (deluxe edition bonus track)
13. Paradiso (deluxe edition bonus track)
14. New Blood (deluxe edition bonus track)
15. Evening Song (deluxe edition bonus track)