Belle and Sebastian have been mostly quiet in recent years — well, they’ve always been mostly quiet, haven’t they? — but the fey Glasgow pop perfectionists are gearing up for a busy rest of 2014. They’ve been working on a new album. They’re playing a series of festival and one-off dates. Frontman Stuart Murdoch’s award-winning film is coming to theaters. And they’ve got a load of reissues on the way.
As for the beloved indie band’s ninth LP, they’ve been recording it in Atlanta with producer Ben Allen, who has applied his low-end-Midas touch to records by Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Washed Out, Youth Lagoon, and many more. It’s Murdoch & co.’s first full-length since 2010’s Write About Love, and it’s coming out worldwide via longtime U.S. label home Matador. No title, release date, or other details have been released just yet, but the group has posted plenty of in-studio photos on its Instagram account.
Did we mention Belle and Sebastian are playing a string of live shows, too? So far they’ll mostly be overseas, kicking off their run in Vienna, Austria, on June 19, but they’ll be back in the United States for Austin City Limits Festival in October. Check out the full schedule below.
In January, Belle and Sebastian performed at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, which also saw the premiere of Murdoch film God Help the Girl. The picture won an award for, deep breath, “World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for the Delightful Ensemble Performance, and How the Director Brought His Own Unique Universe Into Cinema.” Well, that movie is set to start showing in U.S. and Canadian theaters this fall.
Matador also said it’s planning “an extensive reissue series” of Belle and Sebastian’s back catalog. If you’ve ever felt 1998’s classic If You’re Feeling Sinister, the next several months are looking promising.
Belle and Sebastian tour dates:
June 19 – Vienna, Austria @ Arena Wien Open Air
June 20 – Neuhausen, Germany @ Southside Festival
June 21 – Scheesel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
June 22 – Hilvarenbeek, Holland @ Best Kept Secret Festival
June 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ DR Concert Hall
June 26 – Norkopping, Sweden @ Bravalla Festival
July 26 – Costa Brava, Spain @ Festival Porta Ferada
July 28 – Santiago de Compostela, Spain @ Plaza de la Quintana
August 3 – Katowice, Poland @ Off Festival
August 8 – Cesena, Italy @ Rocca Mallatestiana
August 10 – Palermo, Italy @ Ypsigrock Festival
October 3 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
October 10 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
October 31 – Paris, France @ Pitchfork Music Festival Paris