The Antlers are back with thrilling news: their long-awaited album, ‘Blight’, is set to release on October 10 via Transgressive Records. Fans can listen to the lead single, ‘Carnage,’ right now.
The New York-based duo, comprising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Silberman and drummer Michael Lerner, has crafted this album as their first new music in four years.
‘Carnage’ is a haunting slow-burn track that begins softly before building intensity with Lerner’s drumming, ultimately cascading into a wall of fuzz. The lyrics powerfully explore themes of violence against animals encountered during road trips.
Silberman shared his thoughts on the song, stating, “‘Carnage’ addresses a type of violence that’s often overlooked—one that stems not from cruelty but from convenience. Innocent creatures become collateral damage in our destructive paths, and we hardly notice.”
Check out the single here:
Following their 2021 release, ‘Green To Gold,’ The Antlers introduced several standalone singles. Silberman’s side project, Cowboy Sadness, also released an album last year.
While ‘Green To Gold’ showcased warmer, folk-inspired sounds, ‘Blight’ promises a more direct confrontation with humanity’s wastefulness and devastation, featuring varied soundscapes. The album was crafted in Silberman’s home studio, nestled beside a sprawling hayfield, over several years.
“So much of the record was conceived while wandering these expansive fields,” Silberman reflected. “It felt like exploring an abandoned world. The urgency of today’s technological and environmental crises compelled me to express myself more openly. The current realities are unsettling, and the possibilities of what lies ahead are surreal; there’s no reason to hold back.”
The ‘Blight’ Tracklist:
- Consider The Source
- Pour
- Carnage
- Blight
- Something In The Air
- Deactivate
- Calamity
- A Great Flood
- They Lost All of Us
Last month, The Antlers performed several shows with Texas indie rock group Okkervil River as part of their ‘An Intimate Evening with The Antlers & Okkervil River’ tour, with the first leg set for October 2024.
A live album from this tour, titled ‘Band Together,’ was released on April 30 of this year.
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