Nation of Language’s “Sole Obsession” is the first track off their forthcoming album Strange Disciple. The LP’s title is teased in the “Sole Obsession” lyrics, illustrating the alternate side of oneself that emerges during prolonged experiences of passionate fixation. Along with appearances at Outside Lands and Seattle’s Day In Day Out, Nation of Language’s run of newly added headline shows will stretch across North America this summer and fall, including stops in Portland, Vancouver, Austin, Nashville, Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Toronto and beyond, with support from Miss Grit. Tickets go on sale at 10am local time this Friday, March 10th, following pre-sales that begin at 10am EST tomorrow.

“In simplest terms, ‘Sole Obsession’ is one about knowing when, or if, to give in or give up. Particularly, when to untie the knots we tie ourselves into when an infatuation sets in. So many of us have experienced an addictive feeling that constricts us further and further until, hopefully, there’s a moment of clarity that allows one to free themself from that particular compulsion. The title of our next album, Strange Disciple, is a lyric from ‘Sole Obsession’ which references a character of such a nature; one who finds themself an adherent to a subject that is probably not worth the devotion.

We chose to represent this with an anonymous robed figure that lives within all of us, waiting for us to don the cloak and take up our role, and we worked with John MacKay to bring the Disciple to life in the music video. Taking cinematic inspiration from Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) as well as Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1958), the Disciple is depicted as one of us, and we in turn are depicted as the Disciple.”

Nation of Language – 2023 Tour Dates

4/28 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
5/4 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel^
5/17 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre*
5/18 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile*
5/19 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile*
6/2 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound Barcelona
6/6 – Madrid, ES – Primavera In The City
6/9 – Madrid, ES – Primavera Sound Madrid
6/11 – Hilvarenbeek, NL – Best Kept Secret
6/14 – London, UK – KOKO
8/11-8/13 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
8/12 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
8/13 – Seattle, WA – Day In Day Out
8/14 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
10/13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre#
10/14 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop#
10/16 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon#
10/18 – Milwaukee, WI – Back Room @ Colectivo#
10/19 – St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam Bar & Hall#
10/20 – Kansas City, MO – RecordBar#
10/22 – Denver, CO – Gothic#
10/23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge#
10/29 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern#
10/30 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom#
11/2 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn#
11/3 – Fort Worth, TX – Tulips FTX#
11/4 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall – Upstairs#
11/7 – Nashville, TN – Basement East#
11/8 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle#
11/9 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle#
11/10 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer#
11/30 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair#
12/1 – Montreal, QC – Studio TD#
12/2 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix#

^w/ Gustaf
*w/ Reggie Watts
# w/ Miss Grit

Purchase tickets for Nation Of Language HERE