Nation of Language have released “The Conversation,” a previously unreleased track now available on all digital streaming platforms. The song originally served as the B-side to the Brooklyn synth-pop trio’s limited-edition 7” vinyl cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Tougher Than the Rest,” which was released in May.
Produced by Nick Millhiser and mastered by Heba Kadry, “The Conversation” was recorded during the studio sessions for the band’s recent Sub Pop debut, Dance Called Memory. The physical 7” vinyl pressing remains available in limited quantities via Sub Pop’s regional webstores, Bandcamp, and the band’s merchandise table while supplies last.
Of the new single, the band’s frontman, Ian Richard Devaney, describes,
‘The Conversation’ is a song that’s been haunting me for a few years now – one of my personal favorites I’ve written, yet it’s never found a home on an album. It’s extremely contained in the sense that when I write out the lyrics it reads more like a standalone poem than most of our songs, and it dabbles in storytelling in a much different way than I’m used to doing. It’s a vignette, centered around two people whose lives are so intertwined, and have been moving towards this one conversation, this inflection point, where the things that need to be said might finally be said.
The digital release arrives just as Nation of Language prepares to resume an extensive international touring schedule in support of Dance Called Memory. Following a string of European dates earlier this summer, the group will return to the road this Thursday, July 9th, beginning at the Ventura Music Hall in California. The summer routing includes two Pacific Northwest co-headlining dates with labelmates Deep Sea Diver on July 17th and 18th, followed by an automated regional support slot alongside Death Cab For Cutie spanning the Midwest and Southwest from late July through early August.
The band’s autumn itinerary features a return to Europe and the UK, highlighted by a sold-out three-night residency at London’s Village Underground from August 18th to 20th. In September, they will embark on a headline North American run that concludes with a hometown performance at the Brooklyn Paramount on September 19th, featuring support from Annika and The Pains of Being Pure At Heart. Additionally, Nation of Language has confirmed their first routing expansion into South America later this winter, booking appearances at Primavera Sound Buenos Aires on November 28th and Primavera Sound São Paulo on December 5th.
