We Were Promised Jetpacks announce new album and US tour dates

We're very excited to be releasing the new album from We Were Promised Jetpacks on 10th September. It's available to pre-order now and you can check out not one, but two singles from the record.

Here's the full press release including all upcoming tour dates:

Acclaimed Scottish rock band We Were Promised Jetpacks have announced their much anticipated brand new album Enjoy the View, to be released on 10th September via Big Scary Monsters. Along with the announcement they share single ‘Fat Chance’, which follows on from previous new single ‘If It Happens’, released via 7” this month. The new tracks signify a change in musical direction for the band, with ‘Fat Chance’ an ode to overcoming, and even thriving, despite the odds.

Lead singer Adam Thompson explains; “We started properly writing this album at the end of March 2020 when we realised that everything was going to be shut down. We had a US tour lined up in May but obviously had to cancel. So from March to June, we sent each other ideas remotely and collaborated that way. I was so glad we had a project to focus on when proper lockdown hit.

When we were able to get into our practice space in July, we were finally able to jam and write more like we normally do. This song came out of those sessions pretty early on.”

Longtime fans of We Were Promised Jetpacks alongside music critics, often cite the band’s flair for writing infectious pop songs encased within grandiose guitar driven rock soundscapes, yet new single ‘Fat Chance’ offers a change of pace and a glimpse into what to expect from the forthcoming album. With tightly packed drums and cleverly woven guitar arrangements, the band prioritise the track’s melodic core with effortless dexterity.

“I was just messing about on guitar in our studio and got the verse chords and as soon as the other guys joined in, we had a song! We can sometimes spend weeks and months and years trying to get the right parts together but this one flowed. I finished the pre-chorus and chorus that day and sent the demo to the rest of the band and we were excited about it straight away” Thompson said.

Since releasing 2018’s ‘The More I Sleep the Less I Dream’, We Were Promised Jetpacks’ Adam Thompson, Sean Smith and Darren Lackie have embraced change head-on. Amicably parting ways with founding member Michael Palmer the following year, they knew they would likely need to go through a sonic transition.

Entering 2020 as a trio with a handful of songs written and a successful US tour under their belts, the world around them came to a sudden halt. Yet despite the uncertainty that the lockdown brought, it also proved to be a blessing in disguise. Fifteen years into their career, the trio are more focussed than ever.  Previous single ‘If It Happens’ is all at once grand yet restrained – sonically reflective of its lyrical examination of the bigger picture of life and how that can be boiled down to a simple phrase; “If it happens, it happens.” The essence of this statement carries through the entire album and is no doubt equally indicative of how the band had to adapt to writing in a new way due to the pandemic.

With versions of the songs being passed between the band members remotely, they found the collaborative process engaging and rewarding. “Writing together this way allowed us to stay in contact all the time, talk about the songs and what we were individually and collectively trying to achieve with them. Even though we were unable to be in the same room, this way of working allowed us to create together and communicate more directly,” says Adam. “Having music to focus on during lockdown assured us that we wanted to keep writing songs together for many more years.”

“We’re all very appreciative of the people who are listening to us,” Darren says. “It pushes us to keep getting better.” Nodding to both the band and their ever-loyal fans, Adam agrees. “It is very much our band, and we do this because we can do it together.”

TOUR DATES:

November 2021 – US/Canada:
13 Nov -  Hamden CT, Space Ballroom
14 Nov - Philadelphia PA, World Cafe Live
15 Nov - Richmond, VA Richmond Music Hall/The Camel
17 Nov - Atlanta GA, Terminal West
18 Nov - Durham NC Motorco
19 Nov - Washington DC, Black Cat
20 Nov - Brooklyn NY, Elsewhere
21 Nov - Cambridge MA, Sinclair

December 2021 – UK:
2 Dec - Lemon Tree - Aberdeen, Scotland
3 Dec - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, England
4 Dec - Whelans - Dublin, Ireland
5 Dec - Gorilla - Manchester, England
7 Dec - Village Underground, London England
8 Dec - Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff, Wales
9 Dec - Exchange - Bristol, England
10 Dec - Cluny - Newcastle, England
11 Dec - QMU - Glasgow, Scotland

February 2022 – EU:
8 Feb - Amsterdam, NL, Paradiso (upstairs)
9 Feb - Cologne, DE, Luxor
10 Feb - Hamburg, DE, Uebel & Gefarlich
11 Feb - Berlin, DE, Gretchen
12 Feb - Munich, DE, Ampere
14 Feb - Saarbucken, DE, Garage
15 Feb - Zurich, CH, Papiersaal
16 Feb - Wiesbaden, DE, Schlachtof
17 Feb - Luxembourg City, LUX, Rotondes
18 Feb - Antwerp, BE, Kavka
18 Feb - Paris, FR, La Boule Noire

March/April 2022 – US/Canada:
21 Mar - Phoenix, AZ, The Rebel Lounge
22 Mar - San Diego, CA, Casbah
24 Mar - Los Angeles, CA, El Ray Theatre
25 Mar - San Francisco, CS, The Independent
28 Mar - Portland, OR, Mississippi Studios
29 Mar - Seattle, WA, The Crocodile
31 Mar - Salt Lake City, UT, Urban Lounge
1 April - Denver, CO, Bluebird Theatre
2 April - Omaha, NE, The Waiting Room
3 April - St Paul, MN, Turf Club
4 April - Milwaukee, WI, Turner Hall
6 April - Chicago, IL, Thalia Hall
7 April - Cleveland, OH, Grog Shop
8 April - Ann Arbor, MI, Blind Pig
9 April - Toronto, ON, Lee’s Palace
10 April - Montreal, QC, Bar Le Ritz