The Chemical Brothers have unveiled the new single, “No Reason,” their first fresh offering in two years.
Produced by the elite electronic duo comprised of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, “No Reason” features a sample of the New Wave band Second Layer’s 1979 single, “Courts or Wars.” The track is heavy on the vibes but light on the optimism as a grippingly deep bass and buoyant acid beat swell with wailing vocals that repeat, “We have no reason to live/ We have no reason at all.” Despite the song’s seemingly directionless mindset, its production constantly pushes forward thanks to the group’s myriad of flourishes and tricks, along with some celebratory “woo!”‘s thrown in for good measure. Stream it below.
Update: The Chemical Brothers have confirmed the release of a new album in Fall 2023.
The Chemical Brothers prefaced “No Reason” with a message via Instagram that revealed, “If you’ve seen us play live over the last year, you may have already heard an early version of it in our sets.” The duo also thanked Second Layer’s Graham Bailey and the late Adrian Borland as well as the original song’s guitarist, Stephen Budd, “for permission and blessing to use the sample. It means a lot.”
The band will support their first new track since 2021 with a stretch of tour dates and festival appearances throughout the summer. Among their upcoming live sets are stops to Coachella in California, the UK’s Isle of Wight Festival, and Paris’ Rock En Seine. Grab tickets to their upcoming shows here.
“No Reason” follows The Chemical Brothers’ 2021 single, “The Darkness That You Fear.” The duo released their most recent full-length LP, the Grammy-winning album No Geography, in 2019.
“No Reason” Artwork:
The Chemical Brothers 2023 Tour Dates:
03/25 – Bogotá, CO @ Estereo Picnic
04/14 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
04/16 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
04/18 – Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theatre
04/21 – Indio, CA @ Coachella
5/20 – Mallorca, ES @ Mallorca Live Festival
06/02 – Aarhus, DK @ NorthSide Festival
06/09 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival
06/17 – Newport, UK @ Isle Of Wight Festival
06/21 – Cork, IE @ Musgrave Park
06/29 – Seinäjoki, FI @ Provinssi Festival
07/06 – Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live
07/08 – Romano d’Ezzelino, IT @ AMA Music Festival
07/21 – Cluj, RO @ Electric Castle
07/23 – Lucca, IT @ Lucca Summer Festival
08/03 – Oxfordshire, UK @ Wilderness Festival
08/12 – Chorzów, PO @ FEST Festival 2023
08/18 – Charleville-Mézières, FR @ Le Cabaret Vert
08/26 – Paris, FR @ Rock en Seine
09/09 – Cardiff Bay, UK @ Alexandra Head
