Teenage Fanclub released new single Foreign Land earlier today with no prior announcement. A couple of hours later, Monorail dropped some news about their forthcoming album Nothing Lasts Forever, due on 22nd September ahead of their comprehensive European tour.
Foreign Land begins with fuzzy guitar feedback, leading to a fast paced rhythm guitar that underpins Norman harmonising beautifully with Euros. Raymond adds little riffs at times, before taking off on a soaring solo after the second chorus.
Blake's songwriting is mature and poetic, saying so much about how in love he was and how he now recognises it's over, equally heartbreaking and full of hope. After a heavy heart and sleepless nights, there is now recognition that the past is in the past and it's time to move on. The two line chorus says it all.
The past's a foreign land
I did my best to understand
Teenage Fanclub are in great form, McGinley's beautiful meandering guitar solo (a cousin to Home) is deliciously playful, both mid-song and through the outro. Euros keys on the outro jam are more evident after a couple of listens, I look forward to hearing this live.
The video was filmed inside Hamilton Mausoleum, one of the largest in the world. Francis MacDonald released an album of chamber music back in 2018 that was inspired by (and recorded in) the venue. It clearly left quite an impression and it is a cinematic setting for the video, absolutely stunning!
On the single and album;
Raymond - "When we got offered ten days in Rockfield, we weren't ready in our minds but then we just thought, 'fuck it' and went for it. If you're sitting around waiting for the stars to align, you can end up never doing anything. We turned up and worked our way through ideas and came up with some while we were there. Foreign Land was born in the studio. If we hadn't gone there at that point through happenstance, that song wouldn't exist. We like to let things happen. As people, we find a deadline inspiring. We like to put ourselves on the spot and see what happens. We usually get away with it. This record is the cliche of the blank canvas, which thankfully we managed to fill."
Watch the video HERE or below.
Roll on September and the tour.
It's time to move along
Leave the past behind me
A heart was like a stone
Now it's beating brightly
The past's a foreign land
I did my best to understand
Beneath the moon and stars
I loved her most profoundly
I wandered in the night
But now I'm sleeping soundly
The past's a foreign land
I did my best to understand
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