The Decemberists have returned with new music for the first time in 6 years. Their new single, “Burial Ground,” revives the band’s warm, familiar folk-rock sound. Frontman Colin Meloy’s buoyant vocals carry genuine eagerness and charm as he sings of graveyards over twinkling instrumentation. Loose guitar and flourishes of horns embellish the whimsical track, giving off a Beach Boys-style vibrancy. The single’s melody came to Meloy in a dream.
“‘Burial Ground’ is in that time-honored pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in graveyards,” says Meloy. “The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream-songs are bad; this was the exception.”
In conjunction with the single’s release, The Decemberists have announced a sprawling 2024 North American tour featuring select shows with co-headliners The Head And The Heart and special guest Ratboys. The tour will take place throughout spring and summer, kicking off on April 30 in New York.
Listen to “Burial Ground” and check out the band’s upcoming tour dates below.
April 30: Kingston, NY- Ulster Performing Arts Center May 2: Boston, MA – Roadrunner May 3: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount Theatre May 6: Toronto, ON – Exhibition Place – Queen Elizabeth Theatre May 7: Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE May 8: Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadelphia May 10: Washington DC – The Anthem May 11: Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center May 12: Atlanta, GA – The Eastern May 14: Dallas, TX – Majestic Theater May 15: Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall May 17: St Louis, MO – The Pageant May 18: Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theater May 19: St Paul, MN – Palace Theatre May 21: Chicago, IL – Salt Shed May 22: Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theater May 24: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium July 12: Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater^ July 13: Oakland, CA – Fox Theater July 15: Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether July 18: San Diego, CA – Humphreys July 19: Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater July 20: Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren July 22: Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing July 23: Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom July 24: Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater July 26: Missoula, MT – Kettlehouse Amphitheater July 27: Spokane, WA – Spokane Pavilion July 29: Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre August 3: Troutdale, OR – McMenamins Edgefield
