Forest Swords AKA: multi-artist Matthew Barnes announces new album Bolted. The full-length was recorded over the past year in a warehouse factory space in Barnes’ home city of Liverpool, and will drop on October 20th via Ninja Tune. Barnes will also perform a selection of UK/EU live dates this winter, including a headline show at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts.

Alongside the announcement comes “The Low”, a moody, metallic trip hop single lifted from the album. Speaking on the track Barnes comments, “’The Low’ was based on a beat I’d originally intended for Yoko Ono, and features elements I made both at the start and end of the album, so ties together a lot of the sounds and emotions I was exploring during the writing process. The accompanying video directed with Sam Wiehl expands on some of my artwork and visual world that accompanies the record”.

“The Low” follows the release of the “Butterfly Effect” single – part industrial electronica, part greyscale pop, shifting Forest Swords’ world deeper into murkier, more paranoid territory, with a previously-unheard vocal sample by the legendary singer/songwriter Neneh Cherry.

Forest Swords
Bolted
Tracklist
Ninja Tune Records

1. Munitions
2. Butterfly Effect
3. Rubble
4. Night Sculpture
5. Caged
6. Tar
7. The Low
8. Chain Link
9. Hjope
10. End
11. Line Gone Cold

Forest Swords 2023 Live Dates

Sunday 17th September – Sofia, Bulgaria – Wrong Fest
Thursday 2nd November – Manchester, UK – White Hotel
Friday 3rd November – Newcastle, UK – Cluny 2
Saturday 4th November – Glasgow, UK – Mackintosh Church for Great Western Festival
Friday 10th November – London, UK – ICA
Saturday 18th November – Paris, FR – Badaboum
Monday 20th November – Brussels, BE – AB Club
Tuesday 21st November – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterroot
Wednesday 22nd November – Arnhem, NL – Willemeen
Thursday 23rd November – Leipzig, DE – UT Connewitz
Tuesday 28th November – Athens, GR – Athens Conservatoire
Tuesday 5th December – Copenhagen, DK – Hotel Cecil
Wednesday 6th December – Stockholm, SE – Slaktkyrkan

Order Tickets for Forest Swords HERE