Snapped Ankles have announced their fourth album, Hard Times Furious Dancing, which will be out March 28 via The Leaf Label. The album gets its title from Alice Walker’s 2010 book, Hard Times Require Furious Dancing, and the band offer up this quote from it: “We can still hold the line of beauty, form, and beat. No small accomplishment in a world as challenging as this one… hard times require furious dancing. Each of us is proof.”
The band say this is the closest they’ve come to capturing their ecstatic live shows on tape, fueled by the chaos of the world. From the press release: “The forest only offers so much protection. Feeding on a diet of fractured narratives, meme culture, viral moments and the very worst of human impulses weighs heavy. The woodwose hold up a mirror to the absurdity of modern life once again. The only sane response is to dance. Make your way to the clearing, gather around the megalith of speakers, drum machines, amps and synthesisers and dance like there’s no tomorrow.”
The first single from the album is “Raoul,” which at first seems pretty understated for Snapped Ankles. But the hypnotic track builds a banging groove, growing and growing with intensity as they yell “Oligarchs in the neighborhood…everybody look the other way!” A pretty cool first taste. You can watch the video, directed by Gil Anselmi, below.
Snapped Ankles will be on tour across the UK this spring and all dates are listed, along with Hard Times Furious Dancing‘s awesome album art and tracklist, below.
Hard Times Furious Dancing
1. Pay The Rent
2. Personal Responsibilities
3. Raoul
4. Dancing In Transit
5. Where’s The Caganer?
6. Smart World
7. Hagen Im Garten
8. 摆烂 Bai Lan
9. Closely Observed
Snapped Ankles 2025 Live Dates
Wednesday 5th March – Bedford Esquires, Bedford
Thursday 6th March – Junction, Cambridge
Friday 7th March – Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich
Saturday 8th March – Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester
Tuesday 11th March – Crookes Social Club, Sheffield
Wednesday 12th March – The Crescent, York
Thursday 13th March – The Georgian Theatre, Stockton-on-Tees
Friday 14th March – Room 2, Glasgow
Saturday 15th March – Rough Trade, Liverpool
Tuesday 18th March – Face Bar, Reading
Wednesday 19th March – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
Thursday 20th March – Lantern Hall, Bristol
Friday 21st March – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
Saturday 22nd March – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Friday 9th May – The Forum, Tunbridge Wells
Saturday 10th May – Boileroom, Guildford
Tuesday 13th May – The Old Market, Brighton
Wednesday 14th May – Papillon, Southampton
Thursday 15th May – Fabric, London
Friday 16th May – The Tin, Coventry
Saturday 17th May – Meltchester Festival @ Projekts Skatepark, Manchester