The Rifles announce first album in seven years and 2024 UK tour

The Rifles have announced their first album in seven years, ‘Love Your Neighbour’, and shared news of a 2024 UK tour.

The East London indie rock group are due to release their new LP on April 26, 2024 – which you can pre-order/pre-save here – and have shared the first preview in the shape of new single ‘The Kids Won’t Stop’.

The band’s last album was 2016’s ‘Big Life‘. They have also released special records in the interim, including their ‘Unplugged’ album recorded at Abbey Road Studios (2017) and ‘Live At The Roundhouse’ (2020). Vocalist and guitarist Joel Stoker also released his debut solo album ‘The Undertow’ this year.

Alongside new music, The Rifles – completed by Lucas Crowther, Rob Pyne, Grant Marsh and Deano Mumford – have announced a UK headline tour in May next year which will include a show at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town.

General sale starts this Friday (December 1) at 10am GMT from here, or fans can access a pre-sale which opens Wednesday (November 29) at 9am GMT by pre-ordering the new album here.

Listen to ‘The Kids Won’t Stop’ and find the full run of tour dates below.

“‘Love Your Neighbour’ is saying we’re all in this big old mess together and it would be good to get along a bit more and enjoy it,” said Stoker in a press statement. “Talk to people more, help each other out when you can, say good morning and maybe take your head away from your phone for 5 minutes and appreciate the people standing next to you. I’d like to think that the record captures life’s daily situations that we all come across, all wrapped up in 3 minute bundles that you can sing along to.”

The musician added that new song ‘The Kids Won’t Stop’ “sums up most of our lives at the moment: constantly busy, no time to breathe… but you have to keep going!” He added: “It still has the high energy Rifles sound, but with a more representative subject matter to our lives at the moment. It is also a good indication of the sound for the album.”

The new album was recorded at Joel’s home studio in Walthamstow, east London. According to a press release, they had an album’s worth of material ready in 2022, but instead chose to keep writing new songs for ‘Love Your Neighbour’.

The band debuted some of the new tracks during a gig at London’s Electric Ballroom last month.

They’re also due to play their annual Christmas jumper party at Lafayette on December 21.

The Rifles 2024 UK tour dates are:

MAY
9 – Glasgow, Oran Mor
10 – Manchester, Academy 2
11 – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town
16 – Bristol, The Fleece
17 – Nottingham Rescue Rooms

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