Swans have unveiled the first track from their new album: A Little God In My Hands is available now as a free download

A Little God In My Hands is the first track to be taken from Swans‘ forthcoming album ‘To Be Kind‘ released on Mute on 12 May /13 May on Young God Records (North America).

The images for ‘To Be Kind‘, supplied by artist and founder of Slash magazine / records Bob Biggs (with package design by M. Gira), were first seen by Gira at a friend’s house, “I noticed an unfathomable image on the wall. It was a pastel of one of the baby images we now have decided to use as the art for the new Swans album. It’s an utterly banal image, isn’t it? But the thing is, it stuck with me, all these years… I look at Bob’s baby images as something like the Mona Lisa – utterly inscrutable, but ACHING to reach up to the surface. Or like one of Jasper Johns’ flag paintings – I just can’t figure them out, and I’m not supposed to do so, but they keep calling me back.” Originally he asked Biggs if he could use the artwork back in 1981. Biggs said no, but, explains Gira: “those images have remained in the back of my head since then, always nagging. I’m delighted that these images, finally, with Bob’s consent, can now act as innocent, but implacable sentinels for the music of Swans, after all these years.”

The album features several special guests: Little Annie, St. Vincent, Mute labelmate Cold Specks and Bill Rieflin, the album was produced by Michael Gira, and recorded by John Congleton at Sonic Ranch, Texas. Further recordings and mixing were accomplished in Dallas, Texas.

‘To Be Kind‘ will be released on triple vinyl, double CD, download and 3 disc deluxe Edition (including a live DVD).

Swans, led by Michael Gira, formed in 1982 and, after disbanding in 1997, returned with the critically acclaimed albums ‘My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky’ (2010) and 2012’s ‘The Seer’. 2014’s new album ‘To Be Kind’ was part funded through sales of the double live CD ‘Not Here/Not Now’ via the band’s own site http://bit.ly/1igMi70

The UK dates begin in Manchester on 22 May and include London’s Brixton Electric on 27 May plus a return to Birmingham’s Supersonic festival. Full details below.

Swans are Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christoph Hahn, Phil Puleo, Thor Harris and Christopher Pravdica and these are the first UK dates since last year’s Mouth to Mouth festival, curated by Gira and the Green Man festival.