Nation of Language

On 15th September 2023, Nation of Language will release new album Strange Disciple via PIAS, one of the “most anticipated albums of summer” (Pitchfork), which has delivered some of the “best songs of 2023 so far” (LA Times).

Filled with soaring melodies and towering vocal performances, propulsive grooves and bouncing basslines, the record expands the Brooklyn trio’s new wave, post-punk and synth-powered sound with a newfound and frenetic fervor, as each of the ten songs explore themes of toxic infatuation, unhealthy obsessions and hopeless devotion. On latest single 'Too Much, Enough', the band takes aim at the outrage-baiting, anxiety-inducing and totally exhausting barrage of the 24-hour news cycle. From the exhilarating, ricocheting arrangement to the unforgettable call-and-response that punctuates the chorus, the track is an immediate standout of Strange Disciple, arriving alongside a satirical music video starring Emmy-nominated actor Jimmi Simpson (Westworld, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Reggie Watts, Kevin Morby, Tomberlin, Adam Green, Ruby Wolf and many more.

Today, Nation of Language welcome forthcoming tourmate Miss Grit into the fold, with a remix transforming ‘Too Much, Enough’ into a simmering journey that shifts from sparse to explosive, and is accented with the type of affecting harmonies that line their recent debut album, Follow the Cyborg. 

“It was actually pretty hard trying to reimagine a track from a band where every song sounds like perfection to me,” says Miss Grit. “I just wanted to add in more of what their music already makes me feel. And this song in particular is so playful, I wanted to add to the fun.”

Between the incessant news cycle described on ‘Too Much, Enough’, to the romance and addictive patterns that singer Ian Devaney illustrates on 'Sole Obsession', 'Weak In Your Light', 'Stumbling Still', and the rest of of the album, Strange Disciple finds Nation of Language telling transient stories about temptation, guilt, and the inexplicable joy of being pained by one's own passionate fixations. Following the band’s previous LP, A Way Forward – named one of the Greatest Synth-Pop Albums of All Time by Paste – Strange Disciple is the third album in a triptych that has unfolded over the past three years. As the band has continued to evolve, the common denominator has been a restless urge to embrace progress, exploration and forward motion, and singer Ian Devaney imagines the sound of Nation of Language’s three LPs as different ways of moving through and experiencing through the world. Whereas 2020’s pandemic-era debut, Introduction, Presence, took place in a car, with a blurry euphoria reminiscent of road trips, and 2021's A Way Forward occurred on and as a locomotive, inspired by the minimal chug of krautrock, Strange Disciple is the band’s visceral and wayfarer record, informed by wondrous walks on foot.

Produced by Nick Millhiser (Holy Ghost!, LCD Soundsystem), and completed during the time Nation of Language spent at home in between runs of live shows, Strange Disciple also sees the band incorporating creative choices that are most compelling to perform on-stage, using more live drums and guitar than ever before. On the heels of “an excellent showing at Pitchfork Music Festival” (Stereogum), as well as stellar sets at Primavera, Outside Lands and more this summer, the band is about to return to the road for nearly 50 additional tour dates across the EU, UK and US, with support from Miss Grit in the US. 

After a triumphant, headline performance at a packed Brooklyn Steel this spring, Nation of Language kick off their fall run with another momentous hometown show, this time at Rockefeller Center on 9th September, where they will headline Rough Trade’s iNDIEPLAZA Festival. The band will also head back to LA to play The Roxy Theatre on 28th October, after an incredible night at The Fonda Theatre recently. Find the full list of upcoming dates below and tickets at nationoflanguage.com/events.