Taking inspiration from such artists as Elbow, Elton John and Tears for Fears, the new album is a journey through the experience of the pandemic for listeners.

In a statement in Brave Words, singer and lyricist David Longdon said that “After the death of a collaborator Judy Dyble in July 2020, I time spent shielding with an ill relative. With everything that was happening around me and for the world with the relentless doomwatch tone of the news broadcasts, I spoke with Greg. I said I couldn’t just be writing songs about historical figures and scenarios. I felt that I needed to write about the here and now. In ‘The Strangest Times’, I’m writing very directly about what has been happening globally and how I feel about it. The screaming media broadcasts made me want to avoid watching or listening to the news, but I made myself read the latest news once a day. I felt better when I was out of the house and walking by the brook and then visiting Watnall Wood in Nottinghamshire. I have always admired the directness of Pete Townshend’s lyrics, and that very much fitted the tone of the song. The music has a driving piano feel to it. I wanted it to sound like an Elton John rocker with that pushing rhythm piano playing that he does. When Rikard and I spoke about this song and I mentioned Elton John, he referred to ‘Grey Seal’ from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ as external stimuli. That track directly inspired Rikard’s swift piano arpeggios. Dave Foster played electric guitar on this song, and when we met at Real World in November 2020, I said that I wanted the electric part to be Pete Townshend-esque, and Dave knew exactly what I was pushing for.”

The band will give an extensive UK tour for the album in 2022, starting in York and ending in the London Palladium. They will announce a North American tour in the coming weeks.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Big Big Train (@bigbigtrain)

You can listen to the new single here:

UK TOUR DATES

15.03.22: Barbican -York
16.03: Corn Exchange -Cambridge
18.03: Symphony Hall -Birmingham
19.03: Forum -Bath
21.03: Royal Concert Hall -Glasgow
22.03: Bridgewater Hall -Manchester
23.03: PALLADIUM – London