Five years have passed since Phoenix’s last album, 2017’s Ti Amo. Today, the French indie band officially announced their next album, Alpha Zulu, which is slated for a November release. Along with the announcement, the band dropped the first single, “Tonight.” The upbeat track features none other than Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, marking Phoenix’s first time bringing on another vocalist. Koenig also appears with the band in the video, which was filmed between Paris and Tokyo.
Band members Thomas Mars (vocals), Christian Mazzalai (guitarist), Laurent “Branco” Brancowitz (keys, guitars), and Deck d’Arcy (bass, key bass) self-produced and recorded Alpha Zulu in Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The album came to fruition during lockdown, with most of the songs written in just ten days, as Brancowitz described in a statement.
“We felt it would be a fantastic adventure to create something out of nothing in a museum,” he said. “And so with the pandemic, we could live exactly this scene, to be alone in an empty museum.”
Amidst the pandemic, Phoenix also sought to honor their late friend and collaborator, Philippe Zdar, who died in 2019. “We lost more than ever, almost,” Mazzalai shared. “We had many moments where we could feel his ideas. Jeté, that’s a word he would say, when you’re throwing something very fast.”
In addition to the announcement, Phoenix kick off their tour tonight in Chicago, Illinois, before heading across North America and Europe. A complete list of dates are available below, along with the complete Alpha Zulu tracklist and cover art.
1. “Alpha Zulu”
2. “Tonight” Feat. Ezra Koenig
3. “The Only One”
4. “After Midnight”
5. “Winter Solstice”
6. “Season 2”
7. “Artefact”
8. “All Eyes On Me”
9. “My Elixir”
10. “Identical”
09/07 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre *
09/09 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall *
09/11 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall *
09/13 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
09/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia *
09/16 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
09/19 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
09/20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room *
09/22 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
09/23 – Bentonville, AR @ FOR_MAT Festival
10/06 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater *
10/07 – Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre *
10/10 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom *
10/12 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre *
10/13 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
10/14 – Austin, TX @ ACL
10/18 – Mexico City @ Pepsi Center
10/19 – Monterrey, MX @ Show Center
11/16 – London, UK @ Brixton Academy
11/18 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz Club
11/20 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
11/22 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
11/23 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique
11/25 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
11/26 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
11/28 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
11/29 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
* with Porches
Alpha Zulu is out 11/4 via Loyaute/Glassnote Records. Pre-order it here.
