The Decemberists Announce North American Tour in Support of What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

The Decemberists will launch their first North American tour in over three years on March 21, 2015 in their hometown of Portland, Oregon. Tickets for the 16-date run go on sale to the general public on November 21, with a fan pre-sale beginning on November 19 at thedecemberists.com. The tour is in support of the band’s seventh studio album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, which will be released January 20 in the U.S. on Capitol Records. The album will be released by Rough Trade Records in the U.K. and Europe the day prior, January 19. See below for a full itinerary including the band’s European tour in February.

The band has also announced a limited edition Black Friday 7” vinyl release for Record Store Day. The 7” will come in a matte sleeve with artwork designed by Carson Ellis and features the new album’s lead single “Make You Better” with an exclusive B-side “Fits And Starts” that can only be found on this release. Click HERE for a list of participating stores.

“Make You Better” is making a quick ascent up the Triple-A radio charts reaching #11 in just two weeks and once again holding the #1 position this week for Most Increased Play. USA Today named it their “Song of the Week” upon its release, noting, “The down-to-earth Tucker Martine-produced track starts with a simple electric-guitar pattern and builds into a full-band folk-rocker with pounding piano chords and ascending harmonies.” NME hailed it as “a rousing ballad full of yearning.”

“Make You Better,” which can be heard HERE, is available now at all digital retailers and streaming services. The album can be pre-ordered at thedecemberists.com, where an exclusive deluxe set and t-shirt bundles are available in addition to the album in all formats, and at iTunes.com/thedecemberists. Fans who pre-order the album will instantly receive “Make You Better.”

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is The Decemberists’ first full-length studio album since 2011’s The King Is Dead, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and contained the GRAMMY®-nominated single “Down By The Water.” Produced by The Decemberists and long-time collaborator Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, Neko Case), it is the group’s most varied and dynamic work yet. Tracks like “Cavalry Captain” and “Carolina Low” are exemplary of the strong narrative thrust that has characterized much of The Decemberists’ work, but reflect an increased subtlety and even a bit of levity. Meloy’s writing takes a more personal turn on tracks like “Make You Better” and “12/17/12,” a song he wrote after watching President Obama address the nation following the Newtown school shootings. The album takes its title from the lyrics of “12/17/12.”

While officially on hiatus for the past few years, The Decemberists – comprising Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query and John Moen – nonetheless remained visible. The band released a live album, We All Raise Our Voices to the Air, contributed a song to The Hunger Games soundtrack, appeared in animated form on The Simpsons and performed on the season six finale of “Parks and Recreation.” Meloy, the group’s lead singer and principal songwriter, immersed himself in writing Under Wildwood and Wildwood Imperium, the second and third books of The Wildwood Chronicles, the best-selling middle-grade fantasy-adventure series that he created with his wife, illustrator Carson Ellis.

The Decemberists – Tour Dates:
February 11 – Vicar Street – Dublin, Ireland
February 13 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow, UK
February 14 – O2 Academy Leeds – Leeds, UK
February 16 – O2 Academy Bristol – Bristol, UK
February 17 – Manchester Academy – Manchester, UK
February 18 – The Institute – Birmingham, UK
February 20 – Brighton Dome Concert Hall – Brighton, UK
February 21 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
February 23 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
February 24 – AB – Brussels, Belgium
February 25 – Doornroosje – Nijmegen, Netherlands
February 26 – Astra Kulturhaus – Berlin, Germany
February 28 – Kaufleuten – Zürich, Switzerland
March 1 – Magazzini Generali – Milan, IT
March 21 – Keller Auditorium – Portland, OR
March 24 – Northrop Auditorium – Minneapolis, MN
March 25 – Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WI
March 27 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
March 28 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
March 30 – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON
March 31 – Benedum Center – Pittsburgh, PA
April 1 – UB Center For The Arts – Buffalo, NY
April 3 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
April 4 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
April 6 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
April 7 – Academy of Music – Philadelphia, PA
April 9 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
April 10 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
April 11 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
April 13 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.