Manic Street Preachers have kicked off the campaign for their upcoming 14th studio album with new single Orwellian.
The track, which features ’70s inspired, ABBA-esque keys, is the first to be lifted from ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’, due in September.
“Everywhere you look, everywhere you turn / The future fights the past, the fox begins to burn / I’ll walk you through the apocalypse / Where me and you could co-exist,” goes the chorus of the tune.
In a statement, the group explains: “The track is about the battle to claim meaning, the erasing of context within debate, the overriding sense of factional conflict driven by digital platforms leading to a perpetual state of culture war.
“As with many songs on the record, it was written on the piano by James Dean Bradfield.
“Musically, it echoes ABBA, the majesty of Alan Rankine’s playing in The Associates and Talk Talk’s It’s My Life with a Lindsey Buckingham guitar solo. It felt like the perfect sonic and lyrical introduction to ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’.”
The group have teased a handful of tracks from the album via a trailer shared online. It features bright, flashing neon diamond lights alongside a variety of settings including beaches, forests and more urban environments.
During one scene, the group members can be seen walking through a field, while the teaser also previews a duet with an as-yet-unnamed female collaborator.
‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’, out September 3, is available on Standard and Deluxe CD, and Vinyl.
