Islands have announced that they’ll follow 2021’s Islomania with new album And That’s Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs on August 25 (pre-order), and they’ll also go on tour this fall.
“[Islomania] was exuberant and hopeful, and Dolphins is like the grim rejoinder,” says band leader Nick Thorburn. “The songs attempt to tap into some of our darker impulses. The grim, unshakeable feeling that we live in hell, that there is no future, that all hope is lost. I wanted to explore those depths and see where it lead me.” Dolphins is Islands’ ninth LP, and it also marks the 20th anniversary of pre-Islands band The Unicorns’ classic Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?.
The lead single of And That’s Why Dolphins Lost Their Legs is “Life’s A Joke,” with a synth-forward beat and sardonic lyrics. “This record is me at my most bleak, unquestionably,” Nick continues. “But there’s a point to it all. It’s not just gleeful nihilism.” Listen to “Life’s A Joke” and check out the album art and tracklist below.
Islands’s tour surrounds their appearance at Pop Montreal and hits various other cities across the US and Canada. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 23, at 10am.
The tour reaches NYC on September 23 at Bowery Ballroom. All dates below.
Tracklist
1. Life’s A Joke
2. And All You Can Do Is Laugh
3. Headlines
4. Superstitious
5. Hard to Argue
6. Pelican
7. Driven Snow
8. Bite My Tongue
9. Violet
10. Too Far Gone
11. Up The Down Staircase
Islands — 2023 Live Dates
9/12 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
9/13 Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
9/15 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
9/16 Austin, TX @ Empire Control Room
9/17 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
9/19 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
9/20 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room
9/21 Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Music House
9/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
9/23 New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom
9/24 Medford, MA @ Deep Cuts
9/25 Portland, ME @ SPACE
9/27 Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal
9/28 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
9/29 Ferndale, MI @ Magic Bag
9/30 Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
10/1 St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
10/3 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
10/4 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/5 Boise, ID @ The Olympic
10/7 Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall
10/8 Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
10/9 Portland, OR @ The Get Down
10/11 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
10/13 Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom