When it comes to music content, that headline up there is pretty much the hat trick of awesome. And when it comes to the Naked And Famous, the bar for new music is forever elevated, thanks to the New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-based electronic group’s penchant for writing powerful, anthemic pop songs.
That’s now the case, yet again, with the band’s new song, “Higher”, the first track off their upcoming LP Simple Forms, due October 14 via their own label Somewhat Damaged and a new partnership with New York’s Kobalt Label Services. The new LP is the follow-up to 2013’s In Rolling Waves, and one notable aspect of the record, Consequence of Sound notes, is that it’s the first since the personal breakup of guitarist/vocalist/producer Thom Powers and vocalist/keyboardist Alisa Xayalith. The couple had been together for eight years — the Naked And Famous became a band in 2007, mind you — and the split nearly derailed the entire project.
“There’s pain and passion behind this art,” says Xayalith about Simple Forms in a press release. “Pop techniques are all about maximum impact. And it’s not like this is an album of bangers but it’s the most immediate thing we’ve ever done.”
True to form, “Higher” is another towering track of skyscraper synths, coiling vocals, and stadium ambition, reminiscent of previous singles like “Girls Like You” and “Punching in a Dream” (two tracks that hold up as among the best of the decade). Watch the lyric video for the song below, and after the YouTube jump scan the Naked And Famous’ full run of North American tour dates, which includes a November 10 stop at Royale in Boston. Tickets go on sale July 15.
The Naked And Famous 2016 North American tour:
09/21 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto
09/22 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory Northpark
09/24 – Las Vegas, NV @ Life is Beautiful Festival
09/30-10/02 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/07-09 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
10/26 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
10/27 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
10/28 – Vancouver, BC @ The Vogue Theatre
10/30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
10/31 – Denver, CO @ The Ogden
11/02 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
11/04 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
11/05 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
11/06 – Chicago, IL @ The Riviera
11/07 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
11/08 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
11/10 – Boston, MA @ Royale
11/12 – New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
11/14 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11/15 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theater
11/17 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
11/18 – Richmond, VA @ The National
11/19 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
11/20 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
11/22 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
11/23 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
11/25 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
11/26 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
11/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee
11/30 – Oakland, CA @ The Fox Theater