The The Release ‘Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot’, Touring Australia This November
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THE THE have released “Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot,” the second single from their highly anticipated studio album Ensoulment. This new album, set to be released on earMUSIC on Friday, September 6, is eagerly awaited by fans. The single, co-produced by Matt Johnson and Warne Livesey, will be available on a limited 7” vinyl starting Friday, August 2.
The creation of "Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot" carries a unique backstory. The lyrics, addressing the emerging bio-security state, were penned by Matt Johnson while he was bedridden and under the influence of morphine, recovering from a life-saving operation. Coincidentally, his hospital stay occurred during the peak of the Covid crisis, adding a layer of surrealism to his experience.
The song’s arrangement reflects Johnson’s hallucinogenic journey, achieved by having musicians improvise their parts independently while Johnson manipulated the sounds in real time. The discordant interplay between horns and fiddle captures the essence of this surreal experience.
What sets “Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot” apart is its unique lineup. Apart from Johnson, who contributes vocals, guitar, and bass, the track features guest musicians Sonya Cullingford on fiddle, Terry Edwards on horns, Gillian Glover on backing vocals, and Danny Cummings on hand claps.
The music video for the single continues the collaboration with long-time partners, directed by Tim Pope with editing and VFX by Vicki Bennett (People Like Us) and Peter Knight. Anya Krasnikova serves as the Director of Photography.
Throughout their over four-decade career, THE THE have released just five studio albums of original material: Soul Mining (1983), Infected (1986), Mind Bomb (1989), Dusk (1993), and NakedSelf (2000). Despite their limited number of albums, THE THE has also ventured into various projects including cover albums like Hanky Panky, film soundtracks for Hyena, Tony, Muscle, and Moonbug, art installations, a podcast series called Radio Cinéola, a moving 84-minute documentary The Inertia Variations, and several book publications including Long Shadows, High Hopes: The Life and Times of Matt Johnson & THE THE.
Ensoulment will be available in several formats, including Ltd. CD Hardcover Mediabook, CD Jewelcase, Black 2LP Gatefold, and Ltd. Crystal Clear 2LP Gatefold. THE THE have also announced a new world tour, set to begin in September 2024, marking their first tour since the successful The Comeback Special world tour in 2018. The Ensouled world tour is already selling out rapidly, even before the official release of Ensoulment.
The ANZ Tour for November 2024 includes several dates across Australia and New Zealand. It kicks off on the 14th in Auckland, New Zealand, and then moves to Melbourne, Australia, with shows on the 16th (SOLD OUT) and 17th. The tour continues to Adelaide on the 18th, followed by two performances at the Sydney Opera House on the 21st and 22nd. Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall hosts shows on the 23rd (SOLD OUT) and 24th, before concluding at the Fremantle Arts Centre in Perth on the 27th.
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