The Decemberists were one of the biggest bands of the '00s indie boom-times, and they're still a band today, though they've been less busy lately. The Decemberists have played live in the past few years. They've debuted new songs, and they've brought Lin-Manuel Miranda to the stage in New York. But they haven't released any new music since 2018's I'll Be Your Girl and its companion-piece EP Traveling On. That changes today.
Today, the Decemberists have announced a big North American tour that'll take them through the spring and summer, and they've also dropped a new single, their first in nearly six years. Frontman Colin Meloy has been busy writing books, and he's had a lot of success in that arena. Wildwood, his series of YA fantasy novels, is about to become a movie that'll star Mahershala Ali, Carey Mulligan, Angela Bassett, and Tom Waits, among others. He's also working on a book for adults now. If you've been listening to the Decemberists for any amount of time, Meloy's writerly bent won't come as a surprise, and you can hear it at work on the new song "Burial Ground."
"Burial Ground" is a twinkly jangle with backup vocals from the Shins' James Mercer. In a press release, Colin Meloy says, "'Burial Ground' is in that time-honored pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in graveyard. The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream-songs are bad; this was the exception." Below, listen to "Burial Ground" and check out the Decemberists' upcoming tour dates.
TOUR DATES:
4/30 - Kingston, NY @ Ulster Performing Arts Center *
5/02 - Boston, MA @ Roadrunner *
5/03 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount Theatre *
5/06 - Toronto, ON @ Exhibition Place - Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
5/07 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE *
5/08 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia *
5/10 - Washington DC @ The Anthem *
5/11 - Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center *
5/12 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern *
5/14 - Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theater *
5/15 - Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall *
5/17 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant *
5/18 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater *
5/19 - St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre *
5/21 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed *
5/22 - Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theater *
5/24 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium *
7/12 - Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater *^
7/13 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
7/15 - os Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether *
7/18 - San Diego, CA @ Humphreys *
7/19 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater *
7/20 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren *
7/22 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing *
7/23 - Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom *
7/24 - Sandy, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater *
7/26 - Missoula, MT @ Kettlehouse Amphitheater *
7/27 - Spokane, WA @ Spokane Pavilion *
7/29 - Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
8/03 - Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield
* with Ratboys
^ with the Head And The Heart
