“It’s our 10th record. I didn’t think we were going to last this long,” Carl Newman tells me a week out from the release of The New Pornographers‘ The Former Site Of, the Canadian band’s 10th album. “At the beginning, I remember making Mass Romantic and just finishing the record felt like the triumph. Like that felt like the end of the tunnel. It wasn’t like it coming out. It was just like, it’s done. We finally made this. And then everything took on a life of its own.”
Newman adds, “I mean, a lot of shit has happened through the years. And, you know, sometimes it’s a fight to keep things together. You know, the album title is a very specific reference to something in upstate New York, but I also liked it because it’s like when you look at the album, it says The Former Site Of The New Pornographers, which I liked as a title, which is like, we’re not the same band we once were…I think I always wanted us to change. Like, on Twin Cinema, I remember thinking like, oh my God, we’re spinning our wheels. You know, like some of the most popular songs we’ve ever released. When I was, when I put them out, I just thought, “‘Use It’ just sounds like something that might be on Mass Romantic or The Electric Version. But of course, that’s what people want to hear. They want to hear stuff that sounds exactly like you. I’ve always wanted us to evolve. And so I guess that’s what we did. Some things are just kind of forced upon you, some things you do on your own.”
I talked to Carl on the March 30 episode of our BV Interviews podcast, where we also talked about the new role synthesizers play on The Former Site Of, and how lyrically this album is different from their previous nine. Plus: mandolins, tiki bars and mai tais, payphones, memorable New York City shows, and we finally get to the bottom of whether The New Pornographers, who came up through the ’00s, are indie sleaze or not. The answer may surprise you!
Listen to the episode below or wherever you listen to podcasts.
You can also listen to The Former Site Of below (and read our review here), and The New Pornographers will be on tour starting in April with Will Sheff of Okkervil River opening. The NYC stop is Webster Hall on April 23. They’ve also got fall dates and their whole tour schedule is below.
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS – 2026 TOUR DATES
April 22—Boston, MA—The Wilbur*
April 23—New York, NY—Webster Hall*
April 24—Glenside, PA—Keswick Theatre*
April 25—Rochester, NY—Water Street Music Hall*
April 27—Detroit, MI—El Club*
April 29—Millvale, PA—Mr. Smalls Theatre*
April 30—Cleveland, OH—House of Blues*
May 1—Milwaukee, WI—Turner Hall*
May 2—Minneapolis, MN—The Fitzgerald Theater*
May 3—Chicago, IL—The Metro* [SOLD OUT]
May 5—Englewood, CO—Gothic Theatre*
May 6—Salt Lake City, UT—The Commonwealth Room*
May 8—Seattle, WA—The Showbox*
May 9—Portland, OR—Aladdin Theater*
May 11—San Francisco, CA—The Castro Theatre*
May 12—Los Angeles, CA—Teragram Ballroom*
May 13—Phoenix, AZ—Crescent Ballroom*
May 15—Austin, TX—Mohawk Outside*
May 16—Dallas, TX—The Kessler Theater*
May 17—Baton Rouge, LA—Chelsea’s Live*
May 19—Atlanta, GA—Variety Playhouse*
May 20—Saxapahaw, NC—Haw River Ballroom*
May 21—Washington, DC—9:30 Club*
September 12—Tucson, AZ—La Rosa
September 13—San Diego, CA—Belly Up
September 14—Santa Ana, CA—Observatory Santa Ana
September 15—Monterey, CA—Golden State Theatre
September 21—Omaha, NE—The Waiting Room
September 22—Kansas City, MO—The Truman
September 23—St. Louis, MO—The Sheldon Concert Hall
September 25—Birmingham, AL—The Saturn
September 26—Nashville, TN—Cannery Hall
September 27—Louisville, KY—Headliners Music Hall
September 29—Charlottesville, VA—The Paramount
September 30—Towson, MD—The Recher
October 1—Tarrytown, NY—Tarrytown Music Hall
October 2—Albany, NY—Empire Live
October 3—Portland, ME—State Theatre
*with Will Sheff (of Okkervil River)