José González – A Perfect Storm

José González has been quiet for five years since ‘Local Valley’. Now he’s back with his fifth studio album ‘Against The Dying Of The Light’, out March 27, and “A Perfect Storm” is the third single from it. The track sits comfortably in his wheelhouse — propulsive rhythmic fingerpicking that builds toward a distorted peak, intimate vocals throughout — but the influences feeding into it are wider than you might expect: West Saharan desert blues, post-hardcore outfit Quicksand, and experimental rock group Battles all get cited. It’s still recognisably González, but there’s more forward momentum here than the quieter end of his catalogue.

Lyrically, it takes on AI and the technology industry’s headlong rush to develop without thinking about consequences — what experts sometimes call a “race to lose control”. González is precise about it: “‘A Perfect Storm’ is about how we ourselves are creating the conditions for a more and more turbulent future”, he says. “Compared to natural risks, these are man-made, and therefore not random”.

González was born in Gothenburg to Argentine parents who fled the 1976 military coup, started out in the city’s hardcore punk scene, and was partway through a biochemistry PhD when his debut ‘Veneer’ took off in 2003 — the one with his cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats”. Over twenty-plus years he’s sold over a million physical copies and passed a billion streams. He’s also taken the 10% Pledge, committing a tenth of his income to effective charities fighting extreme poverty, with his Pledge Club having donated over $175,000 to organisations including Helen Keller International and the Against Malaria Foundation.

‘Against The Dying Of The Light’ is out March 27 via City Slang (rest of world) and Mute Records (US/Canada). A full North American tour runs April and May, with European dates from June through November, wrapping at London’s Eventim Apollo on November 26. He also plays a special in-store at Rough Trade East in London on March 30.

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Tracklist:

1. A Perfect Storm
2. Etyd
3. Against The Dying Of The Light
4. For Every Dusk
5. Sheet
6. Pajarito
7. Losing Game (Sick)
8. Ay Querida
9. U / Rawls Slöja
10. Gymnasten
11. Just A Rock
12. You & We
13. Joy (Can’t Help But Sing)

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Tour Dates:

North America:

• April 21 – Boston, MA, USA – Royale
• April 22 – Philadelphia, PA, USA – Union Transfer
• April 23 – Washington, DC, USA – 9:30 Club
• April 25 – New York, NY, USA – Brooklyn Steel
• April 27 – Chicago, IL, USA – Vic Theatre
• April 28 – Minneapolis, MN, USA – First Avenue
• May 1 – Seattle, WA, USA – Showbox SoDo
• May 2 – Portland, OR, USA – Wonder Ballroom
• May 3 – San Francisco, CA, USA – Castro Theatre (SOLD OUT)
• May 4 – San Francisco, CA, USA – Bimbos 365 Club
• May 5 – Los Angeles, CA, USA – The Bellwether
• May 8 – Austin, TX, USA – Mohawk Outside
• May 9 – Dallas, TX, USA – Granada Theater
• May 11 – Denver, CO, USA – Mission Ballroom

Europe:

• March 30 – London, UK – Rough Trade East (in-store)
• May 25 – Münster, Germany – Theater
• May 26 – Dresden, Germany – Beatpol
• May 27 – Hamburg, Germany – Mojo
• June 14 – Stockholm, Sweden – Rosendal Garden Party
• July 3 – Gent, Belgium – Gent Jazz
• July 9 – Huesca, Spain – Pirineos Sur
• July 11 – Feldkirch, Austria – Poolbar
• July 17 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Slakthuset Block Party
• October 28 – Barcelona, Spain – Paral·lel 62
• October 29 – Valencia, Spain – La Rambleta
• October 30 – Murcia, Spain – Sala Mamba!
• October 31 – Seville, Spain – Cartuja Center Cite
• November 1 – Lisbon, Portugal – Coliseu Lisboa
• November 2 – Porto, Portugal – Coliseu do Porto
• November 14 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
• November 15 – Zürich, Switzerland – Volkshaus
• November 17 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
• November 18 – Munich, Germany – Muffathalle
• November 19 – Prague, Czech Republic – Archa+
• November 20 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
• November 21 – Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom
• November 23 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Ronda
• November 24 – Paris, France – Le Trianon
• November 25 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
• November 26 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo