When someone is on the cusp of releasing their first solo album in 25 years, make no mistake about it, it’s a pretty big deal. But in the case of Bernard Butler, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention something which many music fans already know, which is that Butler has been so unbelievably busy over the course of the two-and-a-half decades since the release of his last solo album, 1999’s Friends & Lovers, that it’s not as if it feels as though he’s been away in the slightest.
That said, it’s still pretty great news to discover that there is, in fact, a Bernard Butler album on the horizon.
In fact, just to give you an idea of just how long it's been, take a look at the picture below, in which Butler looks staggeringly young, and consider the fact that it was actually taken six years after the last time he released a new solo album.
Bernard Butler, way, way back in 2005 when he was performing alongside Brett Anderson in the Tears
The LP in question is entitled Good Grief, and it’s set for a May 31st release date. To help build the requisite excitement around its impending release, Butler has dropped the album’s first single, “Camber Sands,” named – as you may well know – after the beach in East Sussex, England.
As noted, it’s been a fair while since he’s ventured out on his own, and in the press release accompanying the announcement of the album, he acknowledged the reasons why.
“For a good while I was scarred and I was scared,” said Butler. “I was happily distracted and joyously involved with so much music. I realized just being there was more than I had ever hoped for. I gave a lot to other people, but realized that my story was defined but what I was, rather than what I am. I set myself a modest commercial goal, an expectant creative one: perform to 10 people without being bottled, then find 11 the next night. Thus began the undoing of my own embarrassment. I would write as I thought and sing as I wrote until the bottles fly. And so, the songs arrived.’
Good Grief will be released digitally as well as on both CD and vinyl. There will be a very limited gold vinyl version available exclusively via Butler’s official website; in addition to the standard black vinyl edition available everywhere, there will also be a limited-edition silver vinyl version available exclusively to indie retailers. All of the initial ‘first editions’ of the vinyl will come with a signed print. The CD comes with an eight-page fold-out insert, and for those purchasing the digital version, it will be available in Dolby Atmos.
The full track listing is as follows:
- Camber Sands
- Deep Emotions
- Living The Dream
- Preaching To The Choir
- Pretty D
- The Forty Foot
- London Snow
- Clean
- The Wind
The full list of Butler’s upcoming in-store appearances and live dates appears below the video for Butler's first solo single, "Stay."
Even farther below that, however, you'll find a playlist that Q has curated which includes the best of Butler's career, including material from his solo career, Suede, McAlmont & Butler, the Tears, Trans, and a plethora of artists with whom he's worked over the years, including Catherine Anne Davies, Jessie Buckley, Aimee Mann, Tim Booth and Angelo Badalamenti, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Duffy, Kate Nash, Texas, Ben Watt, Mark Eitzel, Mull Historical Society, Pet Shop Boys, Altered Images, and many, many more.
IN-STORE APPEARANCES:
MAY
31 - Rough Trade East, London - Evening
JUNE
1 – David’s, Letchworth - Afternoon
2 – June Pie & Vinyl, Southsea - Afternoon
2 – June Vinilo, Southampton Evening
3 – June Vinyl Whistle, Leeds – Evening
4 – June Resident, Brighton – Evening
TOUR DATES:
JUNE
6 – London, St Matthias Church (Sold Out)
7 – London, St Matthias Church
8 – Bristol, Beacon The Lantern
11 – Nottingham, Metronome
14 – Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
15 – Kendal, Brewery Arts Centre
21 – Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms
22 – Glasgow, Macintosh Queens Cross
23 – Newcastle, Gosforth Civic Theatre
27 – Bodmin, St Petroc’s Church
28 – Lyme Regis, Marine Theatre
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