Belle and Sebastian will release their ninth studio album on January 20, 2015 (Jan 19 in the UK and Europe), “Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance.” Today, a peek at the album cover, track listing, and more.

Last week, Stuart Murdoch and Richard Colburn gave fans a hint of what to expect. The album opens with “Nobody’s Empire,” which Stuart said “is absolutely the most personal [song] I’ve ever written.” About the beginnings of his lifelong struggle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which led to his first forays into songwriting, it is easily one of his most musically and emotionally epic songs.

What it doesn’t indicate is how fun the album is. Produced and mixed at Maze Studios in Atlanta by Ben H. Allen III, best known for his work with Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, and Raury, among others, the band – who have been listening to things like vintage Detroit techno and Giogio Moroder – have brought a dance-party element (and a disco song about Sylvia Plath) into their gorgeous tales of sensitive souls navigating a world gone awry. It is perhaps the most inspired and wide-reaching album Belle and Sebastian have ever made.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Nobody’s Empire

2. Allie

3. The Party Line

4. The Power of Three

5. The Cat with the Cream

6. Enter Sylvia Plath

7. The Everlasting Muse

8. Perfect Couples

9. Ever Had a Little Faith?

10. Play for Today

11. The Book of You

12. Today (This Army’s for Peace)

FORMATS:

– Digital (iTunes comes with bonus track ‘Piggy In The Middle‘ and pre-order bonus ‘A Politician’s Silence’)

– CD (with 24 page booklet)

– Vinyl: 2x LP gatefold vinyl

– Box set: Limited edition 4x LP with exclusive bonus tracks, extended mixes and poster

TOUR DATES:

2014

Tuesday, October 28 – Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, UK 

Wednesday, October 29 – De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-On-Sea, UK 

Friday, October 31 – Pitchfork Festival, Paris, France 

2015  

Monday January 26 – Laneway Festival, Auckland, New Zealand 

Wednesday January 28 – The Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia 

Thursday January 29 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia 

Sunday February 1 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia 

Tuesday February 3 – Astor Theatre, Perth, Australia 

Thursday, February 12 – AX Club, Seoul, Korea 

Monday, February 16 – Hostess Club Taipei @ Legacy, Taipei, Taiwan

Saturday February 21 – Hostess Club Weekender, Studio Coast, Tokyo, Japan

Friday, May 22 – Hydro Arena (with the Scottish Festival orchestra), Glasgow, UK 

Wednesday, June 10 – Radio City Music Hall, New York NY 

Thursday – Saturday, July 2-4 – ATP Iceland, Keflavik, Iceland 

http://www.belleandsebastian.com