Blonde Redhead Present New Single: "Before"
one of alt-rock’s most beguiling and beautiful bands” – The Guardian
Blonde Redhead’s new album, 'Sit Down for Dinner', is out September 29th via section1. Today, they present “Before,” one of the most sonically playful tracks on the album.
With its stacked vocals by singer and multi-instrumentalist Kazu Makino, “Before” was written with the notion of reincarnation in mind, narrated from the perspective of a kid who seems to know it all : “I don’t need to see/I already know/I can tell you I’ve seen it all before/Once upon a time/Was I a silent child seen it all before/Stop before you run/Before you make a run/Turn it upside down.” Kazu elaborates, “Some children seem quite knowing as if they remember their past lives... or at least that's the impression I get. The song is a sort of celebration of that kind of quality in a young person.” “Before” is the latest in a string of fantastic singles, including the “pillowy and gorgeous” (The Needle Drop) “Melody Experiment” and the “unsettling as it is hypnotic” (Toronto Star) “Snowman.”
In spring 2020, Makino encountered a passage from Joan Didion’s 2005 memoir of grief, 'The Year of Magical Thinking', which reflects on the author’s devastating experience of witnessing her husband’s sudden death at the dinner table. Makino was thinking of her own parents far away in Japan; the then-lost ritual of congregating for dinner with family; and the heavy, omnipresent feeling that life could change in the instant for any of us. There was one line in particular that would eventually lend itself to the album’s title: “Life changes fast. Life changes in the instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.”
'Sit Down for Dinner' is immaculately structured, imbued with sensitivity, clarity, and resolve. Throughout the album, the understated yet visceral melodies create a foil to lyrics about the inescapable struggles of adulthood. It’s a meticulous and immersive testament to the unique internal logic Blonde Redhead have refined over their three-decade existence, one characterised by the sense of persistent togetherness.
The band were forced to postpone their tiny return show in London last month due to illness, but the show is now re-arranged for 22nd September at The Lower Third, just ahead of album release. All tickets for the original date remain valid.
In December, Blonde Redhead will tour the UK. A full list of dates can be found below and tickets are on sale now. In the spirit of 'Sit Down for Dinner', Blonde Redhead will be hosting special dinners at select restaurants in Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles around the album’s release, offering a rare chance to spend actual time with the band. These are on offer via an exclusive bundle, including the 'Sit Down for Dinner' signed vinyl, a limited edition section1 magazine, and of course, a dinner with the band.
BLONDE REDHEAD UK TOUR DATES
Fri. Sep 22 – London, UK @ The Lower Third (re-arranged ‘underplay’ show)
Mon. Sep. 25 - London, UK @ Brilliant Corners*
Sat. Dec. 9 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Sun. Dec. 10 - Bristol, UK @ Thekla
Tue. Dec. 12 - London, UK @ Village Underground
*'Sit Down for Dinner' Vinyl + Dinner Bundle Date
