Born from the womb of Y2K techno paranoia, Death From Above 1979 have been a cathartic through-line since 2001. Touted by Stereogum as “one of the most explosive rock duos of the 21st century” and “a tightly wound mass of fuzz and force” by Pitchfork, the band has survived CDs, MP3s, pirating, streaming and Al slop completely undeterred.
Today, Death From Above 1979 blast off once again, celebrating their 25th anniversary as a band with the announcement of their new studio album, and fifth LP, “Private Lives”, due out on January 29th, 2027, via their original label Last Gang/MNRK. Alongside the announcement, the band is sharing the album’s driving opener and title track, “Private Lives” alongside a music video starring actor Kim Bodnia, directed by Eva Michon. “Private Lives” finds DFA 1979 more invigorated than ever before, with sharp and tangy melodies complementing the duo’s signature low-end thickness and eternally cool swagger.
“The song ‘Private Lives’ is a declaration of privacy in an era of overexposure. We are compelled, often by one another, to share our most intimate moments and quietest thoughts. To what end? More often than not, to be part of a cheap consumer feedback loop. Ultimately though, it’s just a ripping rock song with maniacal riffs!”, the band explains “Our new 10-song LP, ‘Private Lives’, represents a renewed commitment to the pure industrial magic of electricity. We’ve never been able to do anything halfway. Much like Kim Bodnia’s dance performance in the video for the lead single, it’s all or nothing for us”.
The invigorating and surprisingly serpentine “Private Lives” arrives after a rare moment of looking back for such an in-the-moment band; following the release of 2021’s sensational “Is 4 Lovers”, Sebastien Grainger and Jesse F. Keeler underwent several retrospective performances, specifically a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut“ You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine”, as well as several shows commemorating the 10-year anniversary of their second album, 2014’s “The Physical World”, which marked their reunion after a 6-year breakup. “Playing the old songs every day really inspires you to want to make something new”, Keeler says, while Grainger sardonically adds: “After the anniversary shows, we were at once kinda sick of celebrating ourselves but also re-grounded in the true foundational sound of the band”.
DFA 1979 soon got to work on assembling what would become “Private Lives”, unearthing unused but privately cherished demos and drawing from their history and experience. Grainger reflects: “When we first started, making music it was as easy as going down to the basement. It was a physical process. An extension of just hanging out and living together. As the years went by, the process became more deliberate. The trick is to remember what makes it fun and special. Our band has always been a balance of sweet and sour. Heavy music that’s also tender and playful. We’re really cooking when we lean into those contradictions”.
The results are a record brimming with megawatt boldness, as Grainger’s vocals are more front-and-center than ever before on songs like the cascading anthem “Like My Ex Did” and laser-guided hardcore missile that is “Dreams”. He states: “It wasn’t really until Outrage! Is Now that I began to understand my voice in this band. The goal since then has been maximum freedom. It’s a journey”. Keeler is effusive: “You can really hear the confidence in his voice, and that inspired me to make more space for him. We used to try and cram everything at all times, now we can let each other breathe”.
Pre-order & pre-save “Private Lives” here.
Tracklist:
01 Private Lives
02 Escape From Steeltown
03 Mystery (feat. CSS)
04 Hi Lo
05 Put Up/Shut Up
06 Dreams
07 Drunk In Tokyo
08 Like My Ex Did
09 TV Don’t Talk Back
10 Late Stage Liberal
Weblinks:
deathfromabove1979.com
www.facebook.com/DeathFromAbove1979
