Manic Street Preachers announce their fifteenth studio album and accompanying UK tour, "Critical Thinking," set for release on Columbia on January 31, 2025.
"Critical Thinking" celebrates clashing, contradictory ideas, with lyrics of unyielding depth meeting some of the most direct and addictive melodies the band has ever recorded.
Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers says about "Critical Thinking": "It’s a record where opposites collide, dialectics trying to find a path to resolution. While the music is effervescent and elegiac, most of the lyrics deal with cold analysis of the self, with the exception of James’ (Dean Bradfield) three lyrics which search for and hopefully find answers in people, their memories, their language and their beliefs. The music is energetic and at times euphoric. Recording was at times sporadic and isolated, at other times we played live as a band, again the oppositions making sense of each other. There are crises at the heart of these songs. They are microcosms of skepticism and suspicion, the drive inwards feels inescapable – start with yourself, maybe the rest will follow."
Speaking to Mojo Magazine, James Dean Bradfield said: "Sometimes, you just need to have your best songs, put out a record without trying to describe a big overarching concept, even if there is a common thread."
The album is available on vinyl, CD, deluxe CD, and cassette. This includes two exclusive songs available on a limited 7-inch vinyl, a remix of "Decline & Fall" by Steven Wilson, and demo versions of all new album tracks on the deluxe CD.
Manic Street Preachers have announced a series of UK tour dates to follow the album's release.
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