Duran Duran Announce Paper Gods LP Feat. Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Janelle Monáe, John Frusciante, Kiesza, Lindsay Lohan
Duran Duran have announced that their fourteenth studio album Paper Gods — their first record since 2010’s All You Need Is Now — will be released in September. It boasts a star-studded guest list: Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Josh Blair, and Mr Hudson all serve as producers, and featured artists include Janelle Monáe, John Frusciante, Kiesza, and Lindsay Lohan (!). Lead single “Pressure Off,” which features Rodgers and Monáe, will be out later this week. “It really goes back to that strange early Duran mix: the hard-edged pop, coexisting with this dark, weird, experimental side,” bassist John Taylor said of the new record.
“We’ve allowed ourselves the time to make music that we can be proud of,” said Simon Le Bon. “I judge what we release by my favourite albums – Horses, Harvest, Let It Bleed, Blue, Transformer, Aladdin Sane. Those are classic albums. The only rule is it’s got to be music you can live with for the rest of your life.”
The album artwork was designed by Alex Israel with oversight from China Chow and the band, and is “a collage of images that reference the visual history of Duran Duran, each placed like a sticker on a reproduction of Israel’s Sky Backdrop painting.” Here’s that:
The band has also announced some new tour dates:
06/20 Barcelona, Spain @ Sonar By Night Festival
06/27 The Hague, Netherlands @ Night At The Park
06/28 Kerry, Ireland @ Killarney Festival
08/05 Riverhead, NY @ FOLD Festival
08/06 Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest – ArtsQuest Center
09/01 Ibiza @ Ibiza Gran Hotel
09/05 Gibraltar @ Gibraltar Music Festival
09/11 Isle Of Wight, UK @ Bestival
09/20 Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ***
09/23 Puyallup, WA @ Washington State Fair *
09/25 Reno, NV @ Grand Theatre – Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
09/26 Las Vegas, NV @ Life Is Beautiful Festival
09/27 San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Union Open Air Theatre **
10/01 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl ***
10/02 San Francisco, CA @ The Greek Theatre, Berkeley ***
10/03 Rancho Mirage, CA @ The Show Agua Caliente Casino **
11/27 Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena
11/28 Leeds, UK @ First Direct Arena
11/30 Cardiff, UK @ Motorpoint Arena
12/02 Brighton, UK @ Brighton Centre
12/04 Birmingham, UK @ Genting Arena
12/05 Newcastle, UK @ Metro Radio Arena
12/06 Glasgow, Scotland @ The SSE Hydro
12/08 London, UK @ O2 Arena
12/09 Bournemouth, UK @ Bournemouth International Centre
12/11 Nottingham, UK @ Capital FM Arena
12/12 Liverpool, UK @ Echo Arena
* w/ CHIC featuring Nile Rodgers
** w/ Clean Bandit
*** w/ Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Clean Bandit
Paper Gods is out 9/18 in the U.S. and 9/11 everywhere else via Warner Bros Records.