Wild Pink have a new album on the way. Dubbed ILYSM, the fourth full-length from the indie rockers drops October 14th via Royal Mountain Records, while its title track is available to stream now. They have also announced supporting tour dates in North America, the UK, and Europe beginning in October (tickets are available here).
Sonically, ILYSM is lighter than Wild Pink’s predecessor, 2021’s dreamy A Billion Little Lights. Thematically, however, the album is rooted in a dark reality. Wild Pink frontman John Ross was diagnosed with cancer early in the writing process, and his experience battling the disease shapes the record.
“Even though I’d already started working on the record, everything took on new meaning after my diagnosis,” Ross said in a statement. “I started writing songs that tried to make sense of the whole experience, including the love and support I felt from the people in my life — particularly my wife, which is where the title came from.” He even recorded the album in between surgeries, which meant he was tracking vocals “knowing I had cancer in my lymph nodes” — a “pretty surreal” experience, to say the least.
Ross co-produced ILYSM with Justin Pizzoferrato (Pixies, Body/Head, Speedy Ortiz) and Peter Silberman of The Antlers. Alongside bandmates Arden Yonkers and Dan Keegan, the album features contributions from J Mascis, Julien Baker, Ryley Walker, Yasmin Williams, and Samantha Crain. ILYSM’s artwork and tracklist are listed below, and pre-orders for the album are ongoing.
On the title track, the band chants the album’s message — “I love you so much” — over anthemic drums, an upbeat moment of clarity written in a time of uncertainty. Listen to the single below.
Kicking off on October 12th, Wild Pink’s supporting tour will hit cities like Brooklyn, Toronto, and Washington, DC before heading over to the UK and Europe. After that, they’ll return to the US and hit cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, and more. Trace Mountains will serve as openers during the North American dates. Tickets go on sale Friday, July 29th at 10:00 a.m. local time; grab yours via Ticketmaster.
Earlier this year, Wild Pink shared the one-off single “Q. Degraw,” while last summer they released the EP 3 Songs.
ILYSM Artwork:
ILYSM Tracklist:
01. Cahooting the Multiverse
02. Hold My Hand Feat. Julien Baker
03. Hell Is Cold
04. ILYSM
05. St. Beater Camry
06. Abducted at the Grief Retreat
07. War on Terror
08. Simple Glyphs
09. See You Better Now
10. Sucking on the Birdshot
11. The Grass Widow in the Glass Window
12. ICLYM
Wild Pink 2022 Tour Dates:
10/12 – Boston, MA @ The Middle East (Upstairs) *
10/13 – Portland, ME @ Sun Tiki Studios *
10/14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made *
10/15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas *
10/16 – Washington, DC @ DC9 *
10/17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Spirit Hall *
10/18 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake *
10/20 – Montreal, QC @ L’escogriffe *
10/21 – Burlington, VT @ Foam Brewery *
11/08 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
11/09 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
11/10 – Bristol, UK @ The Exchange
11/11 – London, UK @ Pitchfork London
11/12 – Manchester, UK @ Yes Basement
11/13 – Glasgow, UK @ The Hug & Pint
11/14 – Dublin, IE @ The Workmans Cellar
11/16 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
11/17 – Luzern, CH @ Schuur
11/18 – Prague, CZ @ Cafe V Lese
11/19 – Berlin, DE @ Marie Antoinette
11/20 – Copenhagen, DK @ Rahuset
11/21 – Hamburg, DE @ Aalhaus
11/22 – Munster, DE @ Pension Schmidt
11/25 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s *
11/26 – Syracuse, NY @ Funk N Waffles *
11/27 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch *
11/28 – Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village *
11/29 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street *
12/01 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall *
12/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court *
12/03 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder *
12/04 – Spokane, WA @ Lucky You Lounge *
12/05 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza *
12/07 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
12/09 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill *
12/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Airliner *
12/11 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar *
12/12 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
12/14 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk *
12/15 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links *
12/17 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement *
* = w/ Trace Mountain
