Porcupine Tree is now streaming the single edit of their new song "Herd Culling." For longtime fans of the band, this certainly feels like it could've been on either Stupid Dream or In Absentia with its semi-distorted vocals and loose grooves.
"New Porcupine Tree single 'Herd Culling' out today! It was the final song written for the album," said frontman Steven Wilson. "When the rest of the songs were assembled, we felt there was still musically a "hole" for something dramatic in the middle of the album, so it became the only song written as a three way collaboration between Richard Barbieri, Gavin Harrison and I.
"Beginning with Gavin coming up with an unusual rhythm in 11 (he'll never give you something easy!), it was then a case of myself and Richard finding the music, and both of us working with sequenced electronics and sound design, alongside the quiet/loud guitar dynamics. The full 7 minute version is a musical storytelling which features several other sections, but I think the edit works quite well as a more conventionally structured piece too – a smaller bite of music."
Porcupine Tree will release their first new record since 2009 Closure/Continuation on June 24. Pre-orders are available here. The band also recently announced their new live lineup, featuring guitarist Randy McStine (McStine & Minnemann, Lo-Fi Resistance) and bassist Nate Navarro (Devin Townsend). And if you're on the fence about seeing the band on their upcoming tour, you might want to just go. Wilson said in a recent interview that Closure/Continuation could very well be more closure and less continuation.
"We didn't have to make this record. It's not as if we've come back because we've been offered [$10 million] to tour America. We've not come back because our solo careers have failed. We thought it'd be fun and we had some good material. I think that's partly reflected in the title of the album: I genuinely don't know whether this is closure or the start of another continuing strand of the band's career.
"If it is closure, I think it's a really nice way to do it. Or we might call each other up a year from now and say: 'Hey, that was fun. Should we do it again?' My guess is probably the former. I think it probably is the last record we'll make and probably the last tour we'll do."
Catch Porcupine Tree at one of the dates below.
9/10 – Toronto, ON TO Live (Meridian Hall)
9/12 – Laval, QC Place Bell
9/14 – Boston, MA MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park
9/16 – New York City, NY Radio City Music Hall
9/17 – Philadelphia, PA The Met Philly
9/18 – Washington, DC The Anthem
9/20 – Chicago, IL Auditorium Theatre
9/23 – Irving, TX Toyota Music Factory
9/25 – Denver, CO Bellco Theatre
9/28 – San Franscisco, CA The Masonic
9/30 – Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
10/4 – Mexico City, MX Pepsi Center WTC
10/7 – Santiago, CL Movistar Arena
10/21 – Berlin, Germany @ Max Schmelinghalle
10/23 – Vienna, Austria @ Gasometer
10/24 – Milan, Italy @ Forum
10/27 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Globe
10/28 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Falkoner Theatre
10/30 – Katowice, Poland @ Spodek Hall
11/2 – Paris, France @ Le Zenith
11/4 – Stuttgart, Germany Porsche Arena
11/6 – Oberhausen, Germany @ KP Arena
11/7 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggodome
11/9 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Halle 622
11/11 – London, United Kingdom @ SSE Arena, Wembley
