Seminal indie shufflers The Wedding Present release their eigth studio album, El Rey, on May 26.
The album has been recorded at Chicago's Electrical Audio with Steve Albini - who last collaborated with the group on 1991's Seamonsters LP - and is preceded by a digital single, 'The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend', available for download through label Vibrant.
Speaking to MOJO, frontman David Gedge revealed: “I’ve been living in West Hollywood for the last year or so, and while I’m not going to claim that this is my ‘L.A.’ album, there are some references, I suppose.
"The album themes are lust, jealousy, betrayal, regret, obsession, super-heroes… the usual! We chose to record with Steve this time because the new songs were sounding very guitarry and quite dark. It’s been good. As you’d imagine, really; Albini knows his stuff”.
The tracklisting looks a lot like this:
'Santa Ana Winds''Spider-man on Hollywood'
'I Lost the Monkey'
'Soup'
'Palisades'
'The Trouble With Men'
'Model, Actress, Whatever...'
'Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk'
'The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend'
'Boo Boo'
'Swingers'
In addition the band will be playing the following UK dates:
May
26 Exeter The Hub*
27 Shrewsbury Buttermarket*
29 Norwich Waterfront*
30 Brighton Corn Exchange*
July
25 Swindon 12 Bar
26 Ripley Indietracks Festival
27 Blackpool Tower Lounge
September
5 Isle Of Wight Bestival
* w/ Dawn Landes
As much as I liked Take Fountain
I do hope the new record sounds more Seamonster-ish. Love that album so much.
I've heard rumours that this album
is like, about relationships and stuff. And apparently it's kinda sung in a conversational style.
^ 9/10
i like it
the new album, very much.
They played...
'Don't Take Me Home Until I'm Drunk' when i saw them on the George Best gig tour thingy. it was great. I have high hopes, Take Fountain is the only lp they have done i dont like.
I fucking love Gedge
^ does he love you too?
And if so, has he harvested that love and the conversations and stuff, to create a sublime, poignant, bitter-sweet indiepop gem?
No Leeds date???
Boo!
Where's London?
Cnuts
No London yet?
Rubbish. I really really want to see them.
I saw them live once
...and they didn't play Kennedy. I can't risk that happening (or not happening) again!