Bombay Bicycle Club Share Ethereal New Single “I Can Hardly Speak”

London indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club have released their first single of the year ahead of their forthcoming album, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, out Jan. 17 on Caroline International/Island Records. The single, titled “I Can Hardly Speak,” is their fourth to come from the album, which marks the end of a three-year hiatus for the group.

The single displays the band’s blissful sonic focus, with its lyrics providing a deeply introspective view into self-expression. Over a rolling snare progression and a chorus of lightly strummed guitar, vocalist Jack Steadman recognizes his own mental shortcomings, singing, “I got that ego, what do I know? / When I can hardly see.” The track closes with a ripping guitar solo giving an ultimately triumphant finale—a victory against self-doubt.

The single comes with a beautifully animated lyric video put together by Jonny Sanders and Prehuman, and inspired by the art of Maria Medem, who has created the vibrant, minimalist covers for the album and its singles. The video makes creative use of the words across the song, following a twisting path between colorful panels of illustration. Finally, the last frame of the video reveals a shining lighthouse “staring out to sea” at dawn—the tranquil art for the single.

Upon the release of the single, the group explained the song’s importance in a tweet, saying, “The song is self-explanatory, it’s a song about struggling to express yourself with words and being an introvert.”

Everything Else Has Gone Wrong will be out Jan. 17 on Caroline International/Island Records and can be preordered on their website here. You can watch the lyric video for “I Can Hardly Speak Below,” and find the group’s 2012 Daytrotter session and winter tour dates below.

Bombay Bicycle Club Tour Dates:

January
12 – Sound Knowledge, Marlborough *Acoustic In-Store SOLD OUT
12 – Crash, Brudenell Social Club, 6pm *Full Electric Out-Store
12 – Crash, Brudenell Social Club, 8pm *Full Electric Out-Store SOLD OUT
13 – Rough Trade at SWX, Bristol *Full Electric Out-Store
14 – Vinilo at 1865, Southampton *Full Electric Out-Store
15 – Resident at Chalk, Brighton*Full Electric Out-Store SOLD OUT
16- Banquet Records at New Slang, London, 7pm *Full Electric Out-Store
16 – Banquet Records at New Slang, London, 9pm *Full Electric Out-Store SOLD OUT
17 – Rough Trade East, London, 1pm *In Store Signing
17 – Rough Trade, London, 7pm *Acoustic In-Store SOLD OUT
18 – Rough Trade, Nottingham 1pm *Acoustic In-Store SOLD OUT
18 – Truck at O2 Academy, Oxford 7pm *Full Electric Out-Store SOLD OUT
20 – Fopp, Cambridge, 5:30pm *Acoustic In-Store
20 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge SOLD OUT
21 – HMV, Bournemouth, 5:30pm *Acoustic In-Store
21 – Academy, Bournemouth SOLD OUT
22 – HMV The Vault, Birmingham, 6pm *Acoustic In-Store
23 – HMV, Leicester, 5:30pm *Acoustic In-Store
23 – De Montfort Hall, Leicester
24 – University SU Great Hall, Cardiff SOLD OUT
25 – Academy, Leeds SOLD OUT
27 – Academy, Newcastle SOLD OUT
28 – Barrowland, Glasgow SOLD OUT
29 – Barrowland, Glasgow SOLD OUT
31 – Academy, Birmingham SOLD OUT

February
01 – The Centre, Brighton SOLD OUT
03 – Victoria Warehouse, Manchester SOLD OUT
04 – Academy, Sheffield NEW DATE
06 – UEA, Norwich SOLD OUT
07 – Alexandra Palace, London SOLD OUT
08 – Alexandra Palace, London
10 – Vicar Street, Dublin SOLD OUT
11 – Vicar Street, Dublin SOLD OUT
12 – Ulster Hall, Belfast SOLD OUT

All dates w/ The Big Moon + Liz Lawrence