Echo and the Bunnymen announce ‘The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon’

It feels like it’s been years since fans of Echo and the Bunnymen have heard anything from the band. Now, it looks like they’re ready to rectify that. On Wednesday (May 23), the English band formally announced plan to release their first new album in four years. Titled The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon, the record will featured re-imagined versions of 13 of their previously released tracks. Some of those songs getting an update are like “The Killing Moon,” “The Cutter,” “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” and “Lips Like Sugar.”

In addition to the 13 re-imagined versions of the songs, the album will also feature two brand new songs; “How Far?” and “The Somnambulist.” The 15-track compilation was recorded at Dog House Studios in Los Angeels with co-producer Andy Wright.

“I’m not doing this for anyone else. I’m doing it as it’s important to me to make the songs better,” frontman Ian McCulloch said in a press release. “I have to do it.”

In conjunction with the album’s announcement, the band also unleashed the first song from the album; the re-worked version of “Seven Seas” from 1984’s Ocean Rain. Check out the new version of the song above.

The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon is sue out on Oct. 5 through BMG. Pre-orders for the album are currently available here.

In support of The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon‘s release, Echo and the Bunnymen previously announced plans to hit the United States touring circuit in the summer. The tour will kick off on July 12 at the Tobin Center in San Antonio and conclude on Aug. 11 at the Bellwether Music Festival in Waynesville, Ohio. The Violent Femmes will join Echo and the Bunnymen for all the shows with the except of the Bellwether Music Festival. The complete tour itinerary can be found here while the full track lisitng for the album can be seen below.

The Stars, the Oceans & the Moon Tracklist:

01.”Bring on the Dancing Horses”
02. “The Somnambulist”
03. “Nothing Lasts Forever”
04. “Lips Like Sugar”
05. “Rescue”
06. “Rust”
07. “Angels & Devils”
08. “Bedbugs & Ballyhoo”
09. “Zimbo”
10. “Stars are Stars”
11. “Seven Seas”
12. “Ocean Rain”
13. “The Cutter”
14. “How Far?”
15. “The Killing Moon”

Echo and the Bunnymen to Release New Album, Go on World Tour

Fans of Echo and the Bunnymen, it looks like some really good news is on the horizon for your little black hearts.

The band have taken to their Facebook page to announce that they will be releasing a new album, soon. The date and other information, at the time, are unknown, but by the countdown that they have going on the social media account, more information should be coming our way in T-minus six days. For all purposes, the album is still-untitled, but frontman Ian McCulloch has previously referred to it as The Garden of Meedin.’ 

When asked about the new material in an interview last May, McCulloch said, “It’s the band’s best work for a very long time. [It’s] more like the early stuff with loads of spiky guitars and space.”

“The idea is to make the greatest album we’ve ever made. I always go into things thinking that anyway. I’ve spent the last 10 years trying to see where I could go with my voice and if I could write some bridges. Then I looked back and realised we never had any bridges.”

The last album that the Liverpool-based group released was 2009′s The Fountain. In support of the new album, the band have also announced that they would be going on a world tour. Dates, like much of the album’s information, are still unknown, but according to NME, the European dates are already a done deal and are currently int he process of booking the North American dates.