Elbow have announced a new EP and dropped a buoyant new single called ‘Sober’. Find out more below.
The new EP comes as a continuation of the band’s latest full-length release ‘Audio Vertigo’, which was shared last spring and marked their fourth UK Number One album.
Titled ‘Audio Vertigo Echo elbow EP 5’, the release is set to arrive on June 6, and will feature last year’s one-off release ‘Adriana Again’, as well as three brand new and unheard tracks. The first of which has been shared today, and is called ‘Sober’.
Coming in as a disco-inspired, groove-heavy single, ‘Sober’ sees Elbow expand their sonic palette and share something that is both unlike any past releases, but also still immediately identifiable as them. It also marks the first track they worked on with drummer Al Reeves.
“I, I saw the moon in your eyes/ I heard the tongue in your head/ And every word you said caught Fire/ Right in the middle of me,” Guy Garvey sings. Check it out below.
Other tracks include ‘Dis-Graceland 463-465 Bury New Road’, which is named in honour of the former residence of the Seldom Seen Kid, Bryan Glancy, and comes as a celebration of the musical legacy of Manchester. ‘Timber’ sees moments from the past resurface, while ‘Adriana Again’ sees Garvey and co. mythologise the past through fragments of relationships and friendships.
In a new statement, the frontman described the EP as “finishing something for the band in lots of ways”.
“We are having more fun in the studio than ever before. Craig [Potter’s on fire as a producer, Pete [Turner, bassist] and Alex [Reeves, drummer] are the coolest rhythm section working and Pot’s unpredictable rhythm guitar has started working its way into such a soulful and accomplished place,” he added.
“The words are all stories from my past, sometimes joyful, often dark, but all of it exciting and mostly true. It feels like we’re having another go on the Waltzers after hours.”
Visit here to pre-order the EP.
The Black Sabbath-inspired single ‘Adriana Again’ was first shared in November 2024. Around the time of its release, Garvey spoke to NME about what fans could expect from the forthcoming EP.
“We figured that having settled into a different vein on that record, so we wanted to give it another crack,” he said. “And also to remind everyone of the album [that] came out back in March!”
“Adriana is a fictitious character, but based on a few real experiences,” he said of the single. “There was a sneaky vibe to Pete’s bass in the verses – it felt like he was up to something. It reminded me of the period of time that I hung out almost exclusively underground in The Temple Of Convenience or Corbiers in Manchester.”
Garvey continued: “Like the rest of the album, I’m exploring something that happened years ago rather than writing about how lovely my garden is or how pleased with my son’s school report I am. That doesn’t really tickle me as a songwriter, so I’m going back to my dinge-y past, dramatising it, and making it more dinge-y in a lot of places.”
As for ‘Audio Vertigo’, the album was given a four-star review from NME and praised as “their best since ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’”.
“Having been living with a vinyl test-pressing of ‘Audio Vertigo’ for some months now, let one assure you that this is a record to be enjoyed in its fullest form with all its hefty meat, mirrorball flashes and grizzly peaks,” it read. “‘Audio Vertigo’ is their best record in years, and one to blow the cobwebs off some sleepy arenas this summer.”
The band have a number of festival appearances lined up this summer and have shared details of some huge outdoor dates for this year too. As well as that, the members have confirmed that they will be teaming up with the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester to help donate sound equipment to the city’s grassroots venues. Visit here to buy tickets to upcoming shows.
