The “probably” has turned into “definitely”: The Libertines have signed to Virgin EMI and will release their third album in 2015.
The British rock band revealed the news at a label-signing session on Ko Si Chang Island in Thailand, where singer Pete Doherty is attending rehab. The new album will be the first from the Libs since their self-titled Rough Trade sophomore release in 2004.
“I don’t know what to say, I’m so happy… It was a beautiful day,” says Doherty in a presser.
Adds Carl Barât: “After everything we have been through The Albion sails on course again, I couldn’t be more excited.”
The Libertines reunited for the second time this past summer, playing a string of gigs that included an outdoor performance at Hyde Park in London and three nights at Alexandra Palace. According to the NME, Doherty told the Aly Paly crowd that there would “probably” be another Libs album, “while Barât also recently revealed that the pair had written five new songs for the record.”
“We were both reminding each other of scores of tunes that we’d forgotten that had never seen the light of day,” Barât said at the time. “But Plan A is to write new things. There’s about five new tunes on the work bench at this stage and that’s just from having been in each other’s company, not even sitting down to write. One’s called ‘Woke Up Again’, but that’s a working title.”
Below is a photo from the signing, via the band’s Facebook…
And here’s some video footage of the Libertines’ set at Hyde Park…