The Twilight Sad have announced their sixth LP: It’s the Long Goodbye arrives March 27 via Rock Action Records. Following the lead single ‘Waiting for the Phone Call’, the band has released a nervy, grandiose new track called ‘DESIGNED TO LOSE’. Check it out below.
It’s the Long Goodbye marks the Twilight Sad’s first album in seven years. “It had to contain every element of emotion I was feeling,” singer/lyricist James Graham remarked, adding: “In the past I’ve used a lot of metaphors within my lyrics. With this, there’s not as much. The record is heavily influenced by my mental health, grief and loss, and the need to be strong in positions where you’re not feeling it. It’s a very human story, I think – this is just my version of it. I feel that everybody goes through something like this. Everybody loses somebody. Everybody questions life.”
In 2016, upon returning from a tour with The Cure, James discovered that his mother had been diagnosed with early-onset frontotemporal dementia. In November 2023, another tour with The Cure came to a halt as his mental health deteriorated. “And then my mum passed away in the January afterwards,” James said.
In addition to guesting on the record, The Cure’s Robert Smith – who provided additional guitars on ‘Waiting for the Phone Call, guitars/“Tron keys” on ‘Dead Flowers’ and six-string bass on ‘Back to Fourteen’ – offered “invaluable input on the demos.” “Then we had to piece together a band,” Andy MacFarlane recalled. Sometime Arab Strap player David Jeans and Mogwai live member Alex Mackay play drums and bass respectively. The LP was produced by MacFarlane at Willesden’s Battery Studios, with additional production from Andy Savours (My Bloody Valentine) and mixing by Chris Coady (Slowdive).
It’s the Long Goodbye Cover Artwork:
It’s the Long Goodbye Tracklist:
1. GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
2. DESIGNED TO LOSE
3. ATTEMPT A CRASH LANDING – THEME
4. WAITING FOR THE PHONE CALL
5. THE CEILING UNDERGROUND
6. DEAD FLOWERS
7. INHOSPITABLE/HOSPITAL
8. CHEST WOUND TO THE CHEST
9. BACK TO FOURTEEN
10. TV PEOPLE STILL THROWING TVS AT PEOPLE
