The Decemberists share first new song in six years, ‘Burial Ground’ featuring The Shins’ James Mercer
The Decemberists are back with details of a North American tour and their first new music in six years. Find ticket details and check out ‘Burial Ground’ below.
The new track from the ‘00s indie band marks their first new material since their last full-length album ‘I’ll Be Your Girl’ and its accompanying EP ‘Traveling On’ – both of which arrived in 2018.
For the track, the band join forces with The Shins’ frontman James Mercer, and the end result is an upbeat, optimistic track about leaving your troubles behind. “Here among the fallen leaves/ Are we alone the ones that dare to breathe?/ Throw your worries down, they’re oh so gravely held/ You have carried them so well,” sings frontman Colin Meloy in the verse, while Mercer contributes to backing vocals.
“‘Burial Ground’ is in that time-honoured pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in the graveyard,” explained Meloy of the inspiration behind the track. “The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream songs are bad; this was the exception.” Check it out below.
As well as sharing their first new material in six years, The Decemberists have also announced details of an upcoming tour – set to take place across North America later this year.
Kicking off in the spring, the run of live shows will open with a slot at the Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, NY, and see them make stops in Pittsburgh, Dallas, Milwaukee, Chicago, Nashville and more. The shows continue into the summer, where the band will wrap up the leg with a gig at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, OR at the start of August.
Later that month, the band will make an appearance at London’s Victoria Park on August 25, as they take to the stage for 2024’s edition of All Points East. Find a full list of tour dates below and click here for tickets.
The Decemberists’ 2024 tour dates are:
APRIL
30 – Kingston, NY @Ulster Performing Arts Center
MAY
2 –Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
6 – Toronto, Ontario @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre at Exhibition Place
7 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
8 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
10 – Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
11 – Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
14 – Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
15 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
17 – St Louis, MO @ The Pageant
18 – Milwaukee, WI 2 The Riverside Theater
19 – St Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
21 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
22 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
24 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
JULY
12 – Bend, OR @Hayden Homes Amphitheater
13 –Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
14 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
18 – San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
19 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
20 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
22 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing
23 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom 24 Sandy, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater
26 – Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater
27 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Pavilion
29 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
AUGUST
3 – Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield
25 – London, England – Victoria Park (All Points East)
Aside from his time in the band, frontman Colin Meloy has also found success as an author. Wildwood, his series of fantasy novels, is set to receive a film adaptation soon, starring Carey Mulligan, Tom Waits, Angela Bassett, Mahershala Ali and more.
Elsewhere at this year’s instalment of All Points East, The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie are set to headline, and Gossip, Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney and more will be performing. Find remaining tickets here.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
