Kodaline Share a Video for the Reassuring “Shed a Tear”

Today Ireland’s Kodaline released a music video for their song “Shed a Tear,” off their forthcoming record Politics of Living due out Aug. 10. “Shed a Tear” already establishes itself as a central moment. Slightly misleading, the title suggests sadness that fails to capture the unselfish empathy the lyrics convey: “I feel your pain when I know you’re in trouble,” Steve Garrigan sings.

Set in a large barn/warehouse, the video is washed in a gentle white light and populated by a cast of distressed figures. Garrigan appears in the video, close to tears, seemingly overwhelmed by the emotions of the other people in the video. The video expresses both internal and external struggle, ranging from a man crying and half-flailing-half-dancing through the barn to two old men boxing one another. Comforting, the lyrics express that when no one else is there, “I’ll shed a tear for you.” The video concludes with renewal through water—rain falls toward the end and washes those inside the barn.

“Shed a Tear” is positioned as an emotional center for the forthcoming record, especially in context of another song yet to be released. According to the Irish Mirror, the record’s third track “Angel” was written in memory of a fan named Ciara who collapsed at Kodaline’s Dublin show in 2016 and later passed away. Empathy and love then, both present strongly on “Shed a Tear,” are essential in Politics of Living.

Kodaline will be going on a large-scale tour this fall after playing on the festival circuit later this summer. This week the band will be playing four free shows in the U.K., into which they gave their fans the opportunity to win their way.

Watch the video for “Shed a Tear” below and find tour dates and the record’s tracklist further down:

Politics of Life Tracklist:
1.Follow Your Fire
2.Hide and Seek
3.Angel
4.Worth It
5.Shed a Tear
6.Head Held High
7.Born Again
8.I Wouldn’t Be
9.Don’t Come Around
10.Brother
11.Hell Froze Over
12.Temple Bar

Kodaline Tour Dates:

July
19 – Galway, Ireland @ Festival Big Top

August
10 – Piestany, Slovakia @ Grape Festival 2018
11 – Buftea, Romania @ Domeniul Stirbey
15 – Hasselt, Belgium @ Pukkelpop 2018
16 – Gampel, Switzerland @ Open Air Gampel 2018
23 – Belfast, U.K. @ Custom House Square

October
03 – Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
04 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Tivolivredenburg
05 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg @ Den Alelier
07 – Berlin, Germany @ Astra Kulturhaus
09 – Oslo, Norway @ Vulkan Arena
10 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Kägelbanan Södra Teatern
11 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Pumpehuset – Stor Sal
12 Hamburg, Germany @ Docks
14 – Warsaw, Poland @ Palladium
15 – Kraków, Poland @ Klub Studio
17 – Vienna, Austria @ Planet.tt Bank Austria Halle Gasometer
19 – Munich, Germany @ Neue Theaterfabrik
20 – Wiesbaden, Germany @ Kulturzentrum Schlachthof
21 – Paris, France @ Le Trianon
23 – Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
26 -Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz
28 -Milano, Italy @ Fabrique
29 – Stuttgart, Germany @ lka-Longhorn
30 – Cologne, Germany @ Live Music Hall
31 – Zürich, Switzerland @ Samsung Hall

November
02 – Moscow, Russia @ Izvestia Hall
04 – Kyiv, Ukraine @ Beletage
14 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Belasco Theater
15 – San Diego, Calif. @ House of Blues San Diego Presented by Cricket Wireless
16 – Berkeley, Calif. @ The UC Theatre
18 – Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom
20 – Seattle, Wash. @ Neptune Theatre
21 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Commodore Ballroom
24 – Denver, Colo. @ Summit Music Hall
26 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Varsity Theater
27 – Chicago, Ill. @ House of Blues Chicago Presented by Cricket Wireless
28 – Detroit, Mich. @ St. Andrew’s hall
30 – Toronto, Ontario @ Phoenix Concert Theatre

December
01 – Montreal, Quebec @ Corona Theatre
04 – New York, N.Y. @ Irving Plaza
05 – Washington D.C. @ 9:30 club
06 – Boston, Mass. @ Paradise Rock Club
08 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Theater of the Living Arts