THE LUMINEERS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, III
TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 13
III: THE WORLD TOUR – FIRST DATES ANNOUNCED
INCLUDING ONLY CANADIAN DATE AT OSHEAGA, AUGUST 2
Photo credit: Danny Clinch
The Lumineers will release their new album III (pronounced ‘3’) on September 13 through Dualtone (an Entertainment One Company) in the U.S. and Canada and Decca Records for the rest of the world. The two-time GRAMMY nominated band has also released “Gloria,” the first single from the album, which is out today HERE. An official lyric video for “Gloria” is also available HERE. Lead vocalist Wesley Schultz says the song “is about love between an addict and her family.”
The new album III is audacious: every note, every syllable, and every moment of silence in between is emotionally charged. The album is darker in tone than previous albums and is presented in three chapters, with each one centering on one main character from a fictitious family known as the Sparks, who span three generations in the album’s storyline. III’s concept began while the band was writing in the Catskill mountains, where producer Simone Felice works. Mixing raw emotional themes with their ear-catching melodies, expressive vocals and trademark acoustic sound, III moves masterly in artistic directions not yet traveled by the band.
Written by the two founding members, Schultz and multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Fraites, the album sees violinist/vocalist Lauren Jacobson officially joining the band. Her playing can be heard on the band’s previous two albums. She joins the touring lineup that includes pianist Stelth Ulvang, bassist/backing vocalist Byron Isaacs and multi-instrumentalist Brandon Miller. (After eight years, cellist/vocalist Neyla Pekarek left the group in 2018 to embark on a solo career.)
The Lumineers have enjoyed substantial commercial success: their 2012 self-titled debut featured the hit single, “Ho Hey” and was certified triple-platinum in the US in 2018, and quadruple-platinum in Canada. The same year their 2016 sophomore album, Cleopatra, was certified platinum (U.S.) and double-platinum in Canada, hitting #1 simultaneously on the U.S. Billboard Top 200, Top 200 Soundscan Chart (Canada) and the Official Albums Chart Top 100 (UK). The band has had multiple #1’s at CHR and Alternative radio in Canada, and 18 #1 hits on Triple A, Alternative and other radio charts, including “Ophelia” maintaining #1 for 13 weeks on Triple A. The Lumineers became only the second artist in history to hold the top slot on the AAA chart for that length of time. The band has sold out tours across the world, including Toronto’s Budweiser Stage within minutes of onsale in 2016. Over 300,000 tickets were sold on 2017’s Cleopatra World Tour culminating in 27 sold out arena shows. The Lumineers have also supported icons and their musical heroes on the road, including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on his final tour and U2 on its Joshua Tree tour. This year, the band plans to tour across the U.S. and Europe, including their biggest ever UK shows at The O2 Arena London, Manchester Arena, The SSE Hydro Glasgow, and dates across Europe including 3Arena Dublin, Le Zénith Paris and Verti Music Hall Berlin, following a string of festival dates that include Osheaga, Hangout, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, Woodstock and more.
Regarding the new album, Fraites says, “This collection of songs worked out in a beautiful way, and I feel with this album we’ve really hit our stride.”
III Track listing:
01. Donna
02. Life In The City
03. Gloria
04. It Wasn’t Easy To Be Happy For You
05. Leader of The Landslide
06. Left For Denver
07. My Cell
08. Jimmy Sparks
09. April
10. Salt And The Sea
11. Democracy (Bonus Track) (Leonard Cohen cover)
12. Old Lady (Bonus Track)
13. Soundtrack Song (Bonus Track)
Tour dates:
May 19 – Hangout Musical Festival – Gulf Shores AL
June 2 – Radio 104.5 Birthday Show – Camden, NJ
June 15 – 101 WKQX Piqniq – Chicago, IL
June 16 – Bonnaroo Music Festival – Manchester, TN
June 22 – Alt 92.3 Summer Open – New York, NY
June 29 – Tinderbox – Odense, Denmark
July 19-21 – Splendour in the Grass – New South Wales, Australia
July 26 – Fuji Rock Festival – Niigata, Japan
August 2 – Osheaga Festival – Montreal, QC
August 7 – The Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
August 9-11 – Outside Lands – San Francisco, CA
August 16 – Woodstock Music & Arts – Watkins Glen, NY
September 21 – Sea.Hear.Now. Festival – Asbury Park, NJ
November 1 – Campo Pequeno – Lisbon, Portugal
November 2 – WiZink Center – Madrid, Spain
November 4 – Alcatraz – Milan, Italy
November 6 – Halle 622 – Zurich, Switzerland
November 7 – Zenith – Munich, Germany
November 9 – Gasometer – Vienna, Austria
November 10 – Forum Karlin – Prague, Czech Republic
November 13 – Sporthalle – Hamburg, Germany
November 14 – Verti Music Hall – Berlin, Germany
November 16 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, Belgium
November 18 – TivoliVredenburg – Utrecht, Netherlands
November 19 – Palladium – Cologne, Germany
November 20 – Le Zénith – Paris, France
November 22 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow, UK
November 24 – Manchester Arena – Manchester, UK
November 27 – The O2 – London, UK
November 29 – 3Arena – Dublin, Ireland