Post-rock legends Tortoise are back with their first new album since 2009’s Beacon Of Ancestorship. The record is called The Catastrophist, and it was inspired by music they were asked to write back in 2010 by the City Of Chicago that was inspired by the area’s jazz and improvisational music communities. “When we finally got around to talking about a new record, the obvious solution to begin with was to take those pieces and see what else we could do with them,” John McEntire explained in a press release. “It turned out that for them to work for Tortoise, they needed a bit more of a rethink in terms of structure. They’re all pretty different in the sense that at first they were just heads and solos. Now, they’re orchestrated and complex.”

The new album will also see them forgoing their usually instrumental tendencies for two songs: One will feature vocals from Yo La Tengo’s Georgia Hubley, and the other will be a cover of David Essex’s “Rock On” as sung by U.S. Maple’s Todd Rittman. Today, they’re sharing the lead single from the record, the 7-minute “Gesceap,” which McEntire notes is “more of a reflection of how we actually sound when we play live.” Listen below, plus check out the tracklist and the band’s tour dates.

Tracklist:
01 “The Catastrophist”
02 “Ox Duke”
03 “Rock On” (Feat. Todd Rittman)
04 “Gopher Island”
05 “Shake Hands With Danger”
06 “The Clearing Fills”
07 “Gesceap”
08 “Hot Coffee”
09 “Yonder Blue” (Feat. Georgia Hubley)
10 “Tesseract”
11 “At Odds With Logic”

Tour Dates:
01/23 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
02/07 Copenhagen, DK @ Vega Jr.
02/08 Hamburg, DE @ Fabrik
02/09 Berlin, DE @ Berghain
02/10 Antwerpen, BE @ Trix
02/11 Utrecht, NL @ Tivoli
02/12 St. Gallen, CH @ Palace
02/13 Geneva, CH @ Antigel Festival
02/14 Zurch, CH @ Stall 6
02/15 Reutlingen, DE @ Franz. K
02/16 Vienna, AT @ Arena
02/17 Budapest, HU @ A 38
02/18 Zagreb, HU @ Mochvara
02/19 Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Club
02/20 Rome, IT @ Monk Club
02/21 Milan, IT @ Magnolia Club
03/09 Minneapolis, MN @ The Cedar Cultural Center
03/11 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
03/12 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
03/13 Montreal, QC @ Fairmount
03/14 Northhampton, MA @ Iron Horse
03/15 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03/16 New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
03/17 Brooklyn, NY @ Littlefield
03/18 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
03/19 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
03/22 Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
03/23 Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival
03/24 Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio

The Catastrophist is out 1/22 via Thrill Jockey. Pre-order it here.