Alcest Announce New Album, Release First Single

I’ve never had an out of body experience, but I imagine doing so would be quite a bit like listening to “Oiseaux de Proie” (French for “Birds of Prey”), the characteristically spacey new single from France’s Alcest. If you know Alcest, you know what kind of cosmic tongue bath this song has in store for you; if you don’t know Alcest, well… you’re in for a treat. A press release describes their music as “blackgaze,” which is probably as accurate a description as you’re gonna get. I prefer to just describe Alcest’s work as “beautiful.”

So don’t dawdle — listen to Alcest’s  “Oiseaux de Proie” below (but not if you’re currently driving or operating heavy machinery — this song, like all of Alcest’s music, will very likely send you into a hypnotic trance). The song will appear on Alcest’s new album, Kodama, which comes out September 30 on Prophecy Productions. You can pre-order the album here (U.S.) or here (everywhere else). Trust me: it’s worth your money.

If you live in the UK, Alcest also have a bunch of tour dates lined up. These guys are just as good live as they are on record, so make sure you don’t miss ’em:

Nov 9th – Southampton, UK @ The Engine Rooms
Nov 10th – Birmingham, UK @ The Institute
Nov 11th – Leicester, UK @ Queens Hall
Nov 12th – Glasgow, UK @ Classic Grand
Nov 13th – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Nov 14th – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
Nov 15th – Cardiff, UK @ The Globe
Nov 16th – Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory
Nov 17th – London, UK @ Brixton Electric