Today, Manchester Orchestra invite you to join them in The Valley of Vision. Accompanied by an awe-inspiring film that immerses viewers in 180 degrees of virtual reality, the brand new album finds the band reinvigorated once again, delivering a serene salvo of songs that defy the heavy weight of adulthood, faith and self-redemption through sounds unlike anything they have made before. Following their previous 2021 LP, The Million Masks of God – an acclaimed collection that cried for help as it explored a man’s encounter with the angel of death – The Valley of Vision puts forth a collective, cathartic expression of gratitude that is brought to life in both the songwriting of frontman Andy Hull, and the cinematic story directed by Isaac Deitz.
On the heels of sold-out screening events in Los Angeles tonight and New York City on 1st March, The Valley of Vision will debut in a worldwide watch party on Manchester Orchestra’s YouTube channel 9th March, before the album’s digital release on 10th March.
Listen to opening track “Capital Karma,” out now via Loma Vista Recordings, and pre-order The Valley of Vision’s physical edition, arriving 7th April:
“Making The Valley of Vision was an exciting idea of what the future could be for us in terms of how we create. None of these songs were written with the band being in the same room in a live setting. They were really like science experiments that started from the bottom and were added to gradually over time. We’re intrigued by doing things the wrong way, or attempting things we haven’t done before and getting inspired by them.”
Writing for the record began with a chance occurrence in the summer of 2021. Hull was looking through his suitcase for his lyric notebook, but instead found a 1975 book of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision, which his mom had gifted to him the previous Christmas. The title became a mantra that helped inspire the idyllic yet otherworldly energy that permeates throughout the album and film. An evolution from its predominantly guitar-driven past, the band almost completely abandons the instruments it is used to, and instead plays with primitive yet powerful piano leads and shimmering atmospheres, backed by sub-synth frequencies of bassist Andy Prince and shapeshifting sounds of drummer Tim Very.
Through cutting edge, 3D-computed radiography technology, Isaac Deitz envelops listeners in a visual experience of The Valley of Vision, which will also be shown in breathtaking scale at SXSW. Later this spring, Manchester Orchestra will bring music from The Valley of Vision to a hometown set at the 10th Anniversary of Atlanta’s Shaky Knees festival. Find tickets here, and stay tuned for more tour dates coming soon. The band have also announced two very special London shows ‘Manchester Orchestra Acoustic’ in May.
You can see ‘Manchester Orchestra Acoustic’ at the following dates:
13th May – Union Chapel, London
15th March – Union Chapel, London
Tickets on Sale – HERE