The last time that the Fiery Furnaces put out music, well, the world was a much different place to put it delicately. But here we are, and the Friedberger siblings are back.
They were supposed to make a return to the stage this summer at Pitchfork Music Festival in July. But like everything, it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. But, in some good news, the siblings have shared “Down at the So and So on Somewhere” — a downbeat synth-pop track.
“This is the first new music from The Fiery Furnaces in 10 years,” the band said in a statement. “The songs were recorded in New York City and a few hours north of New York City on Feb. 3 and Feb.10 – 12, 2020. ‘Down at the So and So on Somewhere’ is a regretful song about having regrets. Now it seems even more sad than we thought it was back then: ‘Will you meet me,’ etc. Matthew was happy to use a Soviet drum machine. Eleanor was happy to play real drums.”
The duo added,”‘The Fortune Teller’s Revenge’ is another sad song. We cut out the lines from the first and third verse: ‘with me; just kidding’ and ‘leave everything to me.’ Matthew likes hearing Eleanor sing ‘I’m sorry to say I’ve never made a mistake.’ Eleanor likes that you can’t quite tell who’s singing what, when.”
The band’s last performance was at the 2011 Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona.
“Down at the So and So on Somewhere” is now available to stream. A 7″ vinyl version is also available to purchase now courtesy of Third Man Records, backed by the physical-only track “The Fortune Teller’s Revenge.”
Listen to the song below.
