Undoubtedly one of the hardest working groups in heavy music, Anathema have unveiled all of the details for their forthcoming ELEVENTH studio album. The Optimist will be released on 9th June via Kscope.
Commenting on the new record, Vincent Cavanagh stated the following: "I suppose you might say the album is semi-autobiographical because this time we used a surrogate ... We put sound, feelings and crucially, our own hopes and fears into another person and made him the subject of the songs then weaving my own internal monologue into the narrative of The Optimist. It was John's idea to write a narrative, so I took A Fine Day To Exit as the starting point".
Full track-list:
32.63N 117.14W [01:18]
Leaving It Behind [04:27]
Endless Ways [05:49]
The Optimist [05:37]
San Francisco [04:59]
Springfield [05:49]
Ghosts [04:17]
Can`t Let Go [05:00]
Close Your Eyes [03:39]
Wildfires [05:40]
Back To The Start [11:41]
The album is being produced by Tony Doogan who has previously worked with Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian and Super Furry Animals. Chatting about his influence, Cavanagh said, "... he suggested that we record as a live band, which we hadn't done for years. Having played a few tunes on the last tour, we were ready for that. Tony wanted to capture that energy you can only get with everyone facing each other... it makes a big difference. He was a superb guy to work with and I learned a lot making this record."
Check out the the below album teaser: