More about: Ed Harcourt

Ed Harcourt is finally back with his long-awaited seventh album, Furnaces - check out first unveiled tracks 'Dionysus', 'The World Is On Fire', below, along with our early session version of 'Immoral'. 

Produced by the legendary Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and Foals collaborator Flood, Furnaces comes with an impressive guestlist playing across the tracks - featuring drummer Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, bassist Tom Herbert of The Invisible & Polar Bear, vocalist Hannah Lou Clark, and percussionist Michael Blair, a frequent Tom Waits collaborator.

Not only that, but the artwork comes from legendary Gonzo artist and Hunter S Thompson collaborator, Ralph Steadman - the perfect mix for the apocalyptic tone of the record, arriving at a time when all feels beyond the brink of breaking point. 

"I think someone needs to come along with a record like this," says Flood of the album. "These are songs about the menace and the threat that men in general pose to everything and everyone: women, children, nature. The record is from a father's head and heart, sometimes screaming into an abyss, reminding myself and anyone who’s inclined to listen that we need to remember to be responsible for the lives of others."

And now we have our first tasters of it. 'Dionysus' tinkers along with a negative tension of menace before erupting into a howling, explosion of post-rock - as if Sigur Ros, Nine Inch Nails and Smashing Pumpkins are caught in a frantic tussle. 

Meanwhile, 'The World Is On Fire' is a more sparse and operatic work of cinematic fire and brimstone. Both tracks allow the breadth of Harcourt's songwriting to truly breathe. 

Check out 'Dionysus' below

Hear 'The World Is On Fire' below 

And here's a version of the aching and twisted lament of 'Immoral' that Mr Harcourt recorded for us back in 2014...

Furnaces will be released on 19 August. 

The tracklist for Furnaces is:
1 Intro
2 The World Is On Fire
3 Loup Garou
4 Furnaces
5 Occupational Hazard
6 Nothing But A Bad Trip
7 You Give Me More Than Love
8 Dionysus
9 There Is A Light Below
10 Last Of Your Kind
11 Immoral
12 Antartica

Ed Harcourt's upcoming UK tour dates are as follows. For tickets and more information, visit here. 

June
Wed 29th MANCHESTER, The Deaf Institute
Thurs 30th LONDON, The Borderline
July
Sun 3rd LONDON, Hyde Park w/ Carole King
Sun 24th NORTH YORKSHIRE, Deer Shed Festival
September
Wed 21st LONDON, Village Underground *On sale from 9am on Friday 8th July

More about: Ed Harcourt