Manchester Orchestra Share New Single “Capital Karma”; Announce Upcoming Album & 3D Film Experience 

Only a few months after their latest single release, Manchester Orchestra have shared a lot of news – a new single, a new album, a new film experience. This month’s release of “Capital Karma” herald’s the next chapter for the band, as they invite listeners to join them in The Valley of Vision. 

The upcoming six track album is accompanied by an awe-inspiring film that immerses viewers in 180 degrees of virtual reality. Following their previous 2021 LP, The Million Masks of God, The Valley of Vision is set to put 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. The film will debut in a worldwide watch party on the band’s YouTube channel on March 9, before the album’s digital release on March 10, with a physical release following April 7. 

“Capital Karma” offers a preview of what listeners can expect from the new collection of music. An evolution from its predominantly guitar-driven past, the band almost completely abandons the instruments they’re 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. This first glimpse into the album is driven by piano, accompanying Hull’s clear vocals delivering emotional lyrics, punctuated by vocal harmonies that fans of the group will find familiar, bringing new and old sound elements together in a seamless blend. 

Always exploring new and unique ways to capture attention, the band’s website previewed The Valley of Vision’s artwork through experimental 3D animation in the days leading up to the announcement. Using state-of-the-art, real-time, physically-based rendering graphics technology, a high-fidelity digital human with photoreal facial animation came to life as it unveiled the record, and can now be viewed in its full form here.

About the new album, Hull says: “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.

Through cutting edge, 3D-computed radiography technology, Deitz is set to envelop listeners in a visual experience of The Valley of Vision. He adds: “Andy and I had talked about doing a film and album collaboration since 2021, after I directed the video for their song “Telepath”. A year later he sent me The Valley of Vision, and I realized we had the potential to really do something special. Experiencing the film in its intended 180-degree, 3D VR format feels like downloading a dream into your head, and listening to the album feels like receiving an abstract map of different lessons regarding the human experience – forgiving yourself, listening to yourself, letting go, and saying goodbye to the old.”

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, with more tour dates to follow. 

Check out “Capital Karma” below:

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