John Grant shares ‘It’s A Bitch’, announces new album ‘The Art Of The Lie’ and UK and European tour
John Grant has announced details of his new album ‘The Art Of The Lie’, and has shared the lead single ‘It’s A Bitch’ – watch the video below.
Grant’s sixth album will be released on June 14 via Bella Union, and it is available to pre-order/pre-save here.
In addition, Grant has also announced a UK and European tour to take place in October and November – read on for the full list of dates. Tickets for the UK shows are available from 10am on March 20 here.
‘It’s A Bitch’ is a highly-danceable electro-funk track, about which Grant has said: “It was a blast making this track which is just about having fun with words, synths and dope rhythms and bass lines and also making fun of post-COVID malaise.”
“Plus, people get to ponder what a ‘hesher’ is. I loved going to the arcade in the 80s and watching smokin’-hot heshers hold court while playing Tempest, Stargate, Robotron and Asteroids, and while also blasting Iron Maiden and Rush on their Walkmans.”
Watch the track’s funny video here:
‘The Art Of The Lie’ started coming together in 2022, when he met producer Ivor Guest (Grace Jones, Beyoncé) at Meltdown Festival. Describing the album’s sound, Grant has compared it to Vangelis’ score for Blade Runner, or “the Carpenters if John Carpenter was also a member”.
“The clothing that it’s dressed up in makes it more palatable,” he added. “It helps
the bitter pill go down. Music and humour are how I’ve always dealt with the dark side of life. Come to think of it, it’s how I deal with the good side too.”
John Grant will play the following UK and European shows:
OCTOBER
17 – London, Hackney Church
19 – Sunderland, Fire Station
21 – Glasgow, Barrowland
22 – Dublin, Vicar Street
24 – Cardiff, The Tramshed
25 – Bristol, Beacon Hall
26 – Bexhill-on-Sea, De La Warr Pavilion
28 – Birmingham, Town Hall
29 – Norwich, Epic Studios
NOVEMBER
1 – Leeds, Project House
2 – Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
5 – Amsterdam, Melkweg
6 – Cologne, Kulturkirche
7 – Berlin, Columbia Theatre
9 – Aarhus, Train
10 – Copenhagen, Vega
11 – Stockholm, Nalen
13 – Oslo, Rockefeller Music Hall
Earlier this month, Grant also joined CMAT on stage at the BBC 6 Music Festival in Manchester, performing a duet of their collaborative song ‘Where Are Your Kids Tonight?’.
Grant’s last album was 2021’s ‘Boy From Michigan’, his fifth studio record. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “In terms of subject matter, ‘Boy From Michigan’ is among the heaviest albums of Grant’s career – a discography that’s hardly lacking in weight – yet it’s never remotely stifling. At every corner there’s a witty aside, a gleefully weird vocal effect, a gorgeous descriptive phrase or a moment of biting tenderness.”
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Max Pilley
NME
