The View announce new album & UK gigs

When The View reconvened last year after five years apart, the three old-friends realised just how much they have missed... well, everything about being in a band: the rush of seeing an audience react to their performances, the camaraderie of being together, a simple jam idea evolving into a fully-fledged song. A run of comeback gigs at Glasgows O2 Academy saw all 10,000 tickets sold in advance, the fan reaction was overwhelming and they were even joined on-stage by an old friend in the shape of Line of Duty actor Martin Compston.



After all that, how could you resist wanting more? Especially as their rehearsals for the shows saw the band conjure up a wealth of new song ideas just like they did back when they first started out. And so The View today announce that Exorcism of Youth - their first album since 2015 - will be released on June 9th via Cooking Vinyl.



Frontman Kyle Falconer says, "Working with Youth on our third album Bread and Circuses was one of the best experiences of my career so we jumped at the chance to revisit the opportunity with him in Spain. To be able to go into the studio again as a band with added experience was just magical."



Kyle and bandmates Kieran Webster (bass/vocals) and Pete Reilly (guitar) departed their homes in Scotland to record the record in the inspiring surroundings of Granada, Spain, with the assistance of a top tier producer in the shape of the Grammy Award winner Youth(The Verve, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Charlatans). They returned with Exorcism of Youth in the bag, a record which combines the raucous energy of The Views early work with some poignant slowburners drawn from personal experience, and Kyles gift for lyricism which is equal parts observational, witty and insightful.



The View launch the album by sharing its lead single Feels Like, which was premiered yesterday by Jo Whiley at Radio 2. The bands fiery energy ignites the song in a blaze of melody before hitting the kind of instantly irresistible hook with which theyve made their name. Its a track perfectly built for upcoming shows too, with its breakdown sure to be an immensely atmospheric moment when they hit summer festivals.



Kyle adds, "This one felt anthemic from the get go. Even though under the surface its about somewhere everyones been in their life before: regret of losing someone amazing due to your inner demons and seeing them moving on with their life, when youre stuck in a nightmare not a dream. When I first sat down to write it I had Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye in mind. Its playing out in his mind and its his own paranoia destroying him from the inside out when in reality shes the perfect woman."



Elsewhere, the album darts from highlight-to-highlight, taking in a cocktail of 60s pop and punky punch on The Wonder Of It All, strutting and swaggering on Neon Nights, and channelling driving, anthemic rock like a trio of Scottish Springsteens on Woman of the Year. At times, though, it represents an evolution for the band too, with the sweeping strings of Black Mirror and the darker alt-pop production of Footprints In The Sand. Ultimately Exorcism of Youth is where The View should be at this stage in their lives: still burning with the passion of youth, but with the confidence and control that comes from having been around the block and, in the process, learned from the experience.



Fans who pre-order Exorcism of Youth HERE will receive a code to access a pre-sale for The Views underplay shows at Manchesters Deaf Institute (May 10th) and Londons Oslo (May 11th) - the bands first shows in both cities since 2017. The pre-sale opens at 9am on Wednesday, February 22nd and will remain live until any remaining tickets go on general sale at 9am on Friday, February 24th.



In 2007, The Views debut album Hats Off To Buskers went straight to #1 and soon reached Platinum status. Further buoyed by critical acclaim including a Mercury Prize nomination and NME making glowing comparisons with The Stooges and The Libertines, Hats Off To Buskers also took The View into the singles charts with the #3 smash and instant indie classic Same Jeans plus the Top 20 hits Wasted Little DJs and Superstar Tradesman. Two of their subsequent four albums - Which Bitch? and Cheeky For A Reason - also reached the Top 10, while their previous album, Ropewalk, was produced by Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes.



Exorcism of Youth tracklist:



Exorcism of Youth
Feels Like
The Wonder of It All
Arctic Sun
Shovel In His Hands
Allergic To Mornings
Black Mirror
Neon Nights
Dixie
Woman of the Year
Footprints in the Sand
Tangled

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