In 2023, the Swell Season released "The Answer Is Yes," the duo's first material since their 2009 album Strict Joy. Last month Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová returned with "People We Used To Be," and now they're announcing their long-awaited new LP Forward. The second single "Stuck In Reverse" is out now.
“In any situation of letting go, moving on is clearly the right and natural thing to do,” Hansard explains. “This song speaks to that part of us that can’t quite get there. The moment just before complete acceptance.”
Forward was produced by Sturla Mio Thorisson and recorded at his and Irglova’s Masterkey Studios in Iceland with the original Swell Season lineup of Marja Gaynor and Bertrand Galen on strings and Joseph Doyle on bass, with the addition of Piero Perelli on drums and percussion.
"It felt right to title the record Forward because it’s a reunion of sorts, but we’re not going backwards,” Irglová explains. “Both of us have grown and changed; we’re in different places and getting to know each other again as the new people we’ve become.”
Hansard adds:
After our whirlwind that led up to the Oscars and after, we were so busy and with that came a pressure that neither of us particularly wanted, and ultimately we kind of drifted in the middle of all of that hard work and celebration. We remained good friends, helping on each other’s records, keeping up with each other’s families. While touring my last record, I realized I just missed her. I remember calling Marketa and saying, "Do you feel like doing some gigs?" She said, "Yeah, that sounds great," and the shows went really well. Once we were hanging out again, new songs started coming through, and we started trying new ideas and playing the songs onstage. From there the idea was to do a little recording and not put any pressure on it, just see what happens, and suddenly we found ourselves making a record. And we were both totally into it, and so here we are, a new chapter of our lives.
Watch the "Stuck In Reverse" music video produced by James Del and Anthony Mulcahy below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Factory Street Bells"
02 "People We Used To Be"
03 "Stuck In Reverse"
04 "I Leave Everything To You"
05 "A Little Sugar"
06 "Pretty Stories"
07 "Great Weight"
08 "Hundred Words"
TOUR DATES:
05/13 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Koninklijk Theater Carré
05/14 - Antwerp, Belgium @ De Roma
05/16 - Köln, Germany @ Stadthalle Köln-Mülheim Jülich GmbH
05/17 - Hamburg, Germany @ Congress Center Hamburg
05/19 - Berlin, Germany @ Admiralspalast
05/20 - Vienna, Austria @ Wiener Konzerthaus
05/21 - Prague, Czech Republic @ Forum Karlín
05/23 - Kraków, Poland @ Klub Studio
05/24 - Warszawa, Poland @ Klub Stodoła
05/25 - Brno, Czech Republic @ Sono Centrum
05/28 - London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall
05/29 - Gateshead, UK @ The Glasshouse
05/31 - Dublin, Ireland @ National Concert Hall
06/01 - Dublin, Ireland @ National Concert Hall
07/11 - Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap
07/12 - Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
07/13 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
07/15 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
07/16 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
07/18 - Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre
07/19 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
07/21 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
07/23 - Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center
07/25 - Northampton, MA @ The Pines Theater
07/26 - Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre
07/29 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
07/31 - Greenville, SC @ Peace Center
08/01 - Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
08/02 - Atlanta, GA @ The Woodruff Arts Center
09/09 - St. Louis, MO @ The Factory
09/10 - Kansas City, MO @ The Midland Theatre
09/12 - Dallas, TX @ The Majestic Theater
09/13 - Austin, TX @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
09/15 - Santa Fe, NM @ Lensic Performing Arts Center
09/16 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center (Ikeda Theater)
09/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
09/20 - San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
09/22 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
09/23 - Vancouver, BC @ The Orpheum Theatre
09/24 - Seattle, WA @ The Paramount Theatre
Forward is out 6/13. Pre-order it here.
