As far as we can tell, the new Stills is pretty dark. Though not half as dark as this accompanying promo picture. Judge for yourself: The band already has three Oceans Will Rise tracks streaming at their MySpace. We posted the video for the bleak "Snakecharming The Masses" a ways back, but now you can hear it sans visuals along with the U2-like, ostensibly Amos Tutuola-referencing "Rooibos/Palm Wine Drinkard" and official first single "Being Here." The guys have also just posted an apocalyptic all-around update. Guess what? They've been "scraping and gouging frantic, ripping through thick black unbelievable earth." You've been forewarned.
Via MySpace
...There is so precious little time left before the inevitable occurs, and we are so close, so close, so close now!
We have been scraping and gouging frantic, ripping through thick black unbelievable earth, deep below the surface, crazy for daylight, crazy to reach the top. We are sick and we are thin, but we are coming back to you, like some desperate bodiless claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas on this, the most important mission.
Our new album is called Oceans Will Rise, and it will be released on August 19th on Arts& Crafts.
It is about the world we have seen and been through in the past several years, and all the beautiful, painful, wasted, joyful, smeared-sky, sick blissful wandering it has led us on, on the trail of some prey, on the brink of something huge, tiny and helpless, all you can feel is the whole universe shaking to its limit just that tiny bit more every split-split trillisecond, you can almost hear it happening in tiny detail if you hold your breath in long enough, little cracks and ancient-glacier-ice-whining.
We leave you with two songs to tide you over for now until the full album is released. "Being Here" will be the first single from the album, with an accompanying video, to be fully released later in June. We hope you enjoy these.
We are nothing without the people who have shown us the greatest love and kindness ever known and shown on this earth, and that - you - is who this album was made for and inspired by. So until August 19th, know that this is what we hope you can hold onto. For now.
Wishing you happiness and much love,
The Stills
Take a listen here.
As the Stills mentioned, Oceans Will Rise is out 8/19 on Arts & Crafts. They're also playing live in Canada:
06/10 - Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
06/11 - Toronto, Ontario @ The Mod Club
06/28 - Beauce, QC @ Woodstock En Beauce
