Manic Street Preachers have revealed the video ‘International Blue’, the lead single from their forthcoming album Resistance Is Futile, which you can watch above.
The clip was directed by BAFTA-winning Kieran Evans, who worked with the band on videos from their previous two records Rewind The Film and Futurology, as well as on last year’s Everything Must Go documentary Escape From History.
The band described the track as being "Inspired by the city of Nice in the mid winter sun and the life’s work of French artist Yves Klein". Evans meanwhile called it the start of "another exciting visual collaboration" with the band. "We hit on the idea of creating a mood and atmosphere we termed ‘widescreen melancholia’ which will run through all the films we make for the album."
Talking about their first new album since 2014 the band said: "The main themes of Resistance Is Futile are memory and loss; forgotten history; confused reality and art as a hiding place and inspiration. It’s obsessively melodic – in many ways referencing both the naive energy of Generation Terrorists and the orchestral sweep of Everything Must Go. After delay and difficulties getting started, the record has come together really quickly over the last few months through a surge of creativity and some old school hard work."
The band have also revealed the tracklisting for the forthcoming release, which is as follows:
‘People Give In’
‘International Blue’
‘Distant Colours’
‘Vivian’
‘Dylan & Caitlin’
‘Liverpool Revisited’
‘Sequels Of Forgotten Wars’
‘Hold Me Like A Heaven’
‘In Eternity’
‘Broken Algorithms’
‘A Song for The Sadness’
‘The Left Behind’
The deluxe CD edition of the album includes demo versions of all of the above, as well as two bonus tracks – ‘Concrete Fields’ and ‘A Soundtrack To Complete Withdrawal’
To support the new album MSP have announced their biggest set of UK live shows in over ten years.
April 23 NEWCASTLE, Metro Radio Arena
April 25 GLASGOW, The SSE Hydro Arena
April 27 BIRMINGHAM, Arena
April 28 MANCHESTER, Arena
May 1 LLANDUDNO, Venue Cymru Arena
May 2 LEEDS, First Direct Arena
May 4 LONDON, The SSE Arena Wembley
May 5 CARDIFF, Motorpoint Arena
Tickets are on sale now. For more details visit the MSP official website
