Gruff Rhys has announced his new album Sadness Sets Me Free, which will be released by Rough Trade Records on January 26th. This release marks the 25th album of his career (individually, collaboratively and as a member of various bands) which has spanned 35 years.

Lead single “Celestial Candyfloss” is a telling glimpse of the forthcoming album, revealing the heady wonders and classic pop sounds within. Soaring strings carry the sweet melodies along, anchored by just enough necessary melancholy to add emotional ballast. The eye-popping video was created by long-time collaborator Mark James and compliments the scope and style of the song on a galactic scale. Sadness Sets Me Free will be available in a range of formats including a unique Dinked edition on ‘honeycomb neo-neapolitan’ vinyl, an LP sleeve with ‘container doors’ and a bonus 7” with exclusive audio for the first 1500 copies. A gatefold soft pack CD also includes a pull out poster.

Gruff says “Cestial Candyfloss” “is an attempted pocket symphony about the cosmic lengths that people will travel in the pursuit of love and acceptance. Mark James has brought the Sadness Sets Me Free album cover to life & managed to place me watching TV interference in a shipping container that’s lost in space. For what is apparently the 25th album I’ve had a hand in writing I’ve reverted to a rich seam of inspiration relating to shedding some light on sadness and the general terror of cosmic loneliness.”

Upcoming Tour Dates

10/11 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge#
10/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
10/13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s#
10/14 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd#
10/17 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake Hotel
10/19 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
10/20 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo Coffee#
10/21 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club #
10/27-29 – Caernarfon, UK @ Caernarfon Castle
11/5 – Brighton, UK @ Mutations Festival
12/1 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands^
12/2 – Liverpool, UK @ Olympia^
2/2 – Aberystwyth, UK @ Arts Centre

# = w/ This Is The Kit
^ = w/ The Coral

Pre-order Sadness Sets Me Free HERE.