Legendary electronic music pioneers The Chemical Brothers return with new single “The Darkness That You Fear”. The six-time GRAMMY® Award-winning duo —Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons— release the brand-new song today via Republic Records, the first new music since 2019’s critically acclaimed No Geography.
Listen to “The Darkness That You Fear”— HERE.
“The Darkness That You Fear” was first heard during Apple’s spring event held on Tuesday where the company announcement their new line up of products and services.
A limited 12” of the single will be available for Record Store Day on RSD Weekend June 12, 2021 with artwork by the late Cornwall-based abstract artist Sir Terry Frost.
Built around two distinct and disparate vocal samples and a woozy swirl of psychedelic sound, The Darkness That You Fear is the sonic equivalent of light at the end of the tunnel - a rush of hope and a pointer towards a brighter, more open future.
About “The Darkness That You Fear,” Tom Rowlands commented, “’The Darkness That You Fear’ is a hopeful piece of music. When we found the combination of the different voices worked set to the flow of the music, it made us feel optimistic—like it was something we wanted to share.”
A wildly hallucinogenic and beautifully evocative video for the track has been made by Ruffmercy, the Bristol based director who has previously worked with artists such as Thom Yorke, Run The Jewels and DJ Shadow. Watch it HERE.
Ruffmercy comments, “When I first heard the song I immediately connected with the theme and the overall positive vibe. New government rules for relaxing lockdown had been announced and combined with the sun shining, it left me feeling positive about the forthcoming summer. It also triggered a strong sense of nostalgia that led to me going back to look for visual inspiration from the period in time when I first discovered The Chemical Brothers in the mid ’90’s. The video combines archive rave footage from the mid to late 90’s with hand painted Super 8 film textures and hand drawn animation. I love using colour to create chaos and evoke emotions and this was the perfect project to do that.”
Republic Record’s executive Glenn Mendlinger, who brought the duo to the label comments, “The Darkness You Fear marks the return of the mighty Chemical Brothers. It is a classic Chemical Brothers opus that is psychedelic, lush and full of optimism. Tom and Ed once again prove they are pioneers of the genre with this uplifting track that is perfectly timed as the world comes out of darkness into light and color.”
The song stands out as the first new music from the group since 2019's critically applauded No Geography, which earned widespread acclaim from Pitchfork [8.0], Consequence of Sound [B+], and The Quietus who summed it up best as “Amazing.” They concluded 2019 with a sold-out tour, climaxing on a hometown headliner at the iconic O2 Arena in London. Additionally, they architected the closing installation for Electronic - From Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers—the most popular exhibition London’s Design Museum has ever held.
Gearing up to hit the stage later this year, The Chemical Brothers have also been confirmed as Friday night headliners at this year’s Creamfields festival in Daresbury, Cheshire (26th - 29th August - the event has already sold out) and Sunday night headliners at TRNSMT in Glasgow.
