Adrianne Lenker Releases “Ruined,” Announces Tour Dates

Generationally talented and extensively adored singer/songwriter Adrianne Lenker has unveiled a breathtaking new tune. “Ruined,” out today as the first single in anticipation of her 2024 solo record, sees Lenker trading the grounded, homespun vibrations of her typical acoustic guitar for a minimal keyboard backing her ever-intangible vocals, making for a piano ballad that tugs at your heartstrings with each pressing of the keys. Lenker’s voice is at the forefront of the song, the piano being a mere scaffolding to raise her elegiac timbre, as she sings “So much coming through, every hour too / Can’t get enough of you / You come around, I’m ruined.” When Adrianne Lenker sings, she carries with her the memory of every past love and loss. And after nearly a decade of crafting songs that are poetic worlds in themselves, she continues to push herself in new directions. “Ruined” is all feeling, oozing at the track’s sparse seams and swirling into the air around you.

“Ruined” came today with a music video, directed by Adrianne’s younger brother Noah Lenker. Double and triple exposures of her bathing in riverbeds, dancing with her partner and singing through the autumn sun are layered atop clips of water rushing and gushing through her fingers. Under the saturated layers, her hands become creaturely, bending and twisting and fading into forests, cemeteries, and river banks. As the sun limns the dirt through the tres, nostalgia slips through the cracks of her every movement.

Though coming off of an extensive international tour with Big Thief which ended this summer, Lenker plans to bring her music back out out into the world soon. She has announced European tour dates set for spring of 2024, which will follow her March appearance at Knoxville, Tennessee’s Big Ears Festival. These tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday December 8th at 10 am GMT / 11 am CET.

Of “Ruined,” Lenker says: “This song has been a quiet beacon for me. It may contain the essence of the gift of romantic love but it’s mostly about something much bigger.” Before embarking on her tour, she will be teaching a series of songwriting workshops in January with School of Song. Sign ups are open through January 6, 2024, and the workshops will be held for four consecutive Sundays beginning January 7, with the option of two different time sessions to accommodate for time zone differences.

Listen to “Ruined” below.

Adrianne Lenker’s Upcoming Tour Dates:
Thu. Mar. 21 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears
Fri. April 19 – Galway, IE @ The Black Box *
Sat. April 20 – Kilkenny, IE @ St. Canice’s Cathedral *
Sun. April 21 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street *
Wed. April 24 – Glasgow, UK @ Old Fruitmarket +
Thu. April 25 – Manchester, UK @ The Hall at Aviva Studios +
Sat. April 27 – London, UK @ Barbican Centre =
Mon. April 29 – Bristol, UK @ Bristol Beacon +
Thu. May 2 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon +
Fri. May 3 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royale +
Sun. May 5 – Amsterdam, NL @ The Concertgebouw =
Mon. May 6 – Berlin, DE @ Admiralspalast =
Tue. May 7 – Hamburg, DE @ Kampnagel =
Fri. May 10 – Copenhagen, DK @ The Royal Danish Academy of Music =
Sat. May 11 – Stockholm, SE @ Berns =
Sun. May 12 – Oslo, NO @ Chateau Neuf =
* w/ Ellie O’Neill
+ w/ Nick Hakim
= w/ Twain