The New Pornographers Sign with Merge, Announce New Album

The Canadian indie-rock band The New Pornographers have graced the new year with a new single, “Really Really Light,” the first single from their upcoming album Continue as a Guest, set to release on March 31 with Merge Records.

On “Really Really Light,” singer/guitarist A.C. Newman took an old track written by Destroyer’s Dan Bejar that didn’t make their 2014 album Brill Bruisers and reworked it into something new. The songwriter is known for his contributions to the band’s critically acclaimed album Twin Cinema with three songs, and subsequent time on tour with the band for the majority of that year. The single has a classic feel to it, drawing inspiration from artists like Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty.

Watch the video for the new single:

A.C. Newman began work on Continue as a Guest over the course of a year after the band had just finished touring behind 2019’s In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights. The album covers themes of isolation, mundane feelings of everyday life and being chronically online amidst the pandemic. The 10-track record is produced by Newman and features fellow bandmates Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, John Collins, Todd Fancey and Joe Seiders as well as contributions from saxophonist Zach Djanikian.

The New Pornographers are set to tour the U.S. with support from Wild Pink. Pre-sale begins Tuesday, January 10 at 10 a.m. local time. Sign up for the pre-sale code here. Tickets will go on sale to the general public Friday, January 13 at 10 a.m. local time.