When the two-piece Vancouver-based rock duo Japandroids hit the indie rock scene with their studio debut Post-Nothing in 2009, guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse quickly became the kings of heavy hitting feel-good Canadian rock 'n' roll. The band’s infectious guitar riffs and chant-inducing vocals won them critical acclaim from all around the world, while their sophomore album Celebration Rock, which was released in 2012, was met with equal if not more praise than the first record.
But since that last record, we haven’t heard much from Japandroids. Perhaps they’re sitting back and enjoying the perks of having a charismatic and pro-cannabis Prime Minister in Justin Trudeau, or maybe they just needed time to reinvigorate their simple yet robust indie rock formula. Finally, after almost five years of waiting, Japandroids announced their return album Near to the Wild Heart of Life, scheduled to release in 2017. In a recent interview with Pitchfork, King discussed the process of getting back into the studio to record:
“In some ways, we’re approaching this like it’s our very first record. We’re removing all the self-imposed rules that led to the songs and the sound of our whole career up until now. When you do that, you can try anything.”
The record, releasing on January 27 through their record label Anti-, will include eight new tracks, the same number of songs as their previous two albums. To warm up eager Japandroids’ fans up for the forthcoming release, the duo has released the first single from the album, the self-titled track “Near to the Wild Heart of Life”. The song immediately reinvigorates the rumbling drums, hazy distorted guitar, and melodic chants that originally made the for such a refreshing dose of simple rock.
The single will also be released on a 7” along with a cover of Talking Heads’ “Love → Building on Fire” as the B-side. Keep an eye out for the upcoming album Near to the Wild Heart of Life, which judging by the new single, is sure to be jam-packed with high octane rock and fiery spirit.
