UK & EU SHOWS

We’re bringing the ‘OTHERNESS’ tour to the UK & Europe and new pals @bstnmnr are coming with us.

on sale 1 JUNE at 10AM BST / 11AM CEST ➣ https://t.co/8v7va0jkuE for info pic.twitter.com/WNtN34U2dH

— ALEXISONFIRE (@aof_official) May 30, 2022

Alexisonfire, for those who aren’t in the know, recently announced their first album in thirteen years, titled Otherness. Thus far, the Canadian quintet has released three singles; “Sweet Dreams of Otherness”, “Reverse the Curse” and “Sans Soleil”, all displaying different dimensions of the band’s musical approach, and also clearly demonstrating that their sound has matured along with them. Whilst still recognisably Alexisonfire, the band is not making any attempt to become a cover band of their past-selves or recreate the sound of Crisis or Old Crows/Young Cardinals.

According to NME, frontman George Pettit stated that the part of the band’s choice to return with new music was partly because they “didn’t want to be a nostalgia act” going on to say “The only reason to come back is if we feel we still have something to say…We spent so much time on the road thinking that if we stopped, people would lose interest…But when we went away, it only got bigger. We all carved new paths for ourselves, so coming back to Alexisonfire is a purely enjoyable creative venture. Something special happens when we get in a room together.”

You can check out the thunderous lead single from the album “Sweet Dreams of Otherness” down below. You can pre-order the forthcoming record here, and physical releases, including a Gatefold 12” vinyl LP, can be pre-ordered at this link.

Alexisonfire released their first new music in nine years in 2019, putting out three singles; “Familiar Drugs”, “Season of the Flood” and “Complicit”, however the group did not announce any full-length releases or E.Ps at the time. The five-piece originally broke up in 2012, however they reunited in 2015 for a string of shows, which eventually progressed into a fully-fledged reunion, leading them to where they are right now.

You can view the dates for Alexisonfire’s forthcoming tour down below.

14/10/2022 – Great Hall- Cardiff
16/10 – Academy- Manchester
17/10 – Barrowland Ballroom- Glasgow
19/10 – Academy- Leeds
20/10 – Dome- Brighton
22/10- O2 Academy Brixton- London
24/10- Trix- Antwerp, Belgium
26/10 – Columbiahalle-Berlin, Germany
27/10 – Tonhalle- Munich, Germany
29/10 – Zeltphilharmonie- Hamburg, Germany
31/10 – Palladium- Cologne, Germany
01/11- Tivoli- Utrecht, Netherlands

“Sans Soleil” is the third single from the upcoming album, having been preceded by “Reverse the Curse” and lead single “Sweet Dreams of Otherness”. The emotive tune is led by singer and guitarist Dallas Green, filled to the brim with soaring melodic passages and ethereal harmonies that swirl amidst a tidal wave of glassy synths and grimy guitars. Frontman George Pettit takes a backseat in this one, however his familiar snarl can be heard around the 3:30 mark, providing a suitably shouty backing to Green’s tuneful howling.

Explaining the writing process of the song ina n interview with NME, Pettit said: “Wade came in with the lyrics for this song around the same time he had been working on the Dooms Children record and I feel like it shows. The Dooms Children album touched on a lot of things extremely personal to Wade and this song is definitely in that vein…This song is about hanging onto hope during the heaviest times. Healing and letting go. Dreaming of a future where all this hurt is behind you.”

You can listen to “Sans Soleil” down below.

Otherness will be the Ontario band’s first full-length album in thirteen years, their last being 2009’s Old Crows/Young Cardinals. The band broke up in 2012 for a short period of time, reuniting for a series of shows in 2015, at the time stating that they had no concrete plans to stay together. However, as time went by, the group made more live appearances, and in 2019 and early 2020, released three singles, “Familiar Drugs”, “Complicit” and “Season of the Flood”.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to plenty of musical endeavours in 2020 and 2021, and there was little else other than radio silence from Alexisonfire during this time, however their grand return came in early March, when they unveiled their new single and upcoming album.

Alexisonfire have a packed touring schedule ahead of them this year, and are currently on tour in North America. For any UK fans eager to catch Alexisonfire live on their own turf, the group will be performing at Slam Dunk Festival in Leeds and Hatfield on June 3^rd and 4^th. More information about Slam Dunk, including tickets, can be found here.

“Sweet Dreams of Otherness” is a song that truly sounds like the logical next step for a band like Alexisonfire. The bombastic quintet have always known how to switch up from record to record, maturing their sound as they age, and this heavy, smoky new tune is no different. Guitarist and singer Dallas Green’s soulful voice is on full display here, ranging from moody and restrained to rich, gale-force high notes. Vocalist George Pettit’s iconic rasping growl grants the song a more ferocious edge over the distortion and near-psychedelic feedback din that storms on in the background.

The announcement of Otherness is momentous news indeed for fans of the Ontario band, whose last full-length album Old Crows/Young Cardinals was released all the way back in 2009. The band’s last (thankfully temporary) hurrah of original music was the 2010 Dog’s Blood EP, before they announced in late 2011 that they were splitting up. The band embarked on a multi-country farewell tour and released the Death Letter EP in 2012, which was a reimagining of several songs from their discography.

The band’s split did not last long at all, and by 2015, the group announced a reunion tour, making appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, Riot Fest in Chicago and Heavy Montreal. At the time, Alexisonfire did not seem to have any concrete plans to stay together, however the group went on to play shows in the following years, and in 2019, released their first new music since 2010; the sludgy, explosive single “Familiar Drugs”. This was followed up by two more singles, “Complicit” and “Season of the Flood”, before the COVID-19 pandemic swooped in and pulled everything to a halt for a while.

A full track list for Otherness can be viewed below.

1). ‘Committed To The Con’
2). ‘Sweet Dreams Of Otherness
3). ‘Sans Soleil’
4). ‘Conditional Love’
5). Blue Spade’
6). Dark Night Of The Soul
7). ‘Mistaken Information
8). ‘Survivor’s Guilt
9). ‘Reverse The Curse
10). ‘World Stops Turning’

For any UK fans wishing to catch the band live in the coming months, Alexisonfire will be headlining Slam Dunk Festival in Leeds and Hatfield Park. Tickets can be found here.