Andreas Olsson
The last time we heard from The Radio Dept., they were calling out fascists and Morrissey on their charged-up, one-off single "Going Down Swinging." Today, the Swedish dreampop pioneers are back with their first track since. It's called "The Absence of Birds," and it's exactly what you might expect from the band — in their case, that's a very good thing.
“‘The Absence of Birds’ is a song about missing someone," Johan Duncanson and Martin Carlberg wrote in a press release. "It's about forcing the hand of chance to make new and unexpected things happen." The band also promised an album's worth of material this year, although they did not confirm whether or not it would arrive in the format of a full-length project. "Ten or more songs will be released in some way or another during 2020," they said. "Release formats to be decided from what we feel suits the songs.”
The single arrives in tandem with the announcement that The Radio Dept. will be reissuing their 2006 LP Pet Grief this spring, just in time for their upcoming tour. Peep the dates for their North American jaunt, and hear "The Absence of Birds," below.
The Radio Dept. Tour Dates:
04/26/20 - Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
04/27/20 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
04/28/20 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
04/29/20 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
04/30/20 - Montreal, QC @ L’Astral
05/01/20 - Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
05/02/20 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
05/03/20 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
05/06/20 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
05/07/20 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue
05/08/20 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
05/10/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
05/11/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
