Anathema Detail ‘The Optimist’ Album, Release Dreamy ‘Springfield’ Song

Anathema's musical journey over the last nearly quarter century has been a fascinating one. Morphing from death / doom act to goth-tinged alt rock, their output in the new millennium has been on the progressive side, entertaining wondrous, dreamy post-rock styles in their truly artful sound. They've returned three years after Distant Satellites with the forthcoming record, The Optimist, and have dished out a taste of what's to come with the new track "Springfield."

In the video, the band is seen seated in a rehearsal space, running through the song in a live setting. Anathema display their songcraft mastery, opening with a minimalist drum beat, a simple piano melody and ethereal vocal passages that seem to drift in and out of the song. Slowly building on these motifs, the Brits erupt halfway through the song with droning leads that drive the tension as the melodies carry on underneath.

“Here we present the song 'Springfield', it’s actually the song that closed our unforgettable Wembley gig with Opeth and it seemed to be a track that just fell into place without much effort,” singer / guitarist Daniel Cavanagh explained. “It seemed to do itself. The song forms part of a narrative that runs through The Optimist album, it’s a narrative that begins where A Fine Day To Exit left off. The album is a journey. The songs are ambiguous. There is no right or wrong way to take them. Make of them what you will.”

Pre-orders for The Optimist (out June 9 on Kscope) can be placed here with a variety of options being offered, including a deluxe 12 inch hardbook, two disc CD and DVD mediabook, Blu-Ray, CD, double gatefold 180 gram heavyweight LP and digital download. For all upcoming tour dates, head to Anathema's Facebook page.

Anathema, The Optimist Track Listing

01. "32.63N 117.14W"
02. "Leaving It Behind"
03. "Endless Ways"
04. "The Optimist"
05. "San Francisco"
06. "Springfield"
07. "Ghosts"
08. "Can’t Let Go"
09. "Close Your Eyes"
10. "Wildfires"
11. "Back To the Start"

Anathema, The Optimist Album Cover

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