The Radio Dept. Share New Song "The Absence of Birds"

The Radio Dept. have released their new single "The Absence of Birds." The song was shared via the band's own Just So! label. The single includes the band's original version, as well as a cover by Civilistjävel!. The release marks the band's first new music since 2018. "The Absence of Birds" serves as a distillation of the band's signature sound, a purified and dreamy snapshot, reflective of their nostalgia drenched, angular beauty.

They're also happy to announce they'll be touring North America this spring and will be bringing along fellow Swedish band Hater to support. Full list of dates below. Tickets on sale this Friday at 10am local time HERE.

Speaking on the origin of the new song, the band says: "'The Absence of Birds' is a song about missing someone. And about forcing the hand of chance to make new and unexpected things happen. There's more to come this year, ten or more songs will be released in some way or another during 2020. Release formats to be decided from what we feel suits the songs."

Today also brings with it the news that The Radio Dept.'s second album, Pet Grief (2006), is now being re-pressed on vinyl. There will be one edition on Blue Transparent Vinyl (limited to 500 copies), sold only through the official Just So! merch shop HERE. There will also be a regular Black Vinyl version available for general distribution. Both editions come in a gatefold cover with gently remastered audio. Pre-orders are shipping out in mid March or as soon as the albums arrive. General release date TBD.

The Radio Dept. Tour Dates:
04/26/20 - Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
04/27/20 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
04/28/20 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
04/29/20 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
04/30/20 - Montreal, QC @ L'Astral
05/01/20 - Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
05/02/20 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
05/03/20 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
05/06/20 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
05/07/20 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue
05/08/20 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
05/10/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
05/11/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre

The Radio Dept. was formed in Malmö, Sweden in 2001 by Johan Duncanson and Martin Carlberg.

Out of a great review in the music magazine Sonic (2002) they gained interest from the label Labrador. After a few EPs, the band's debut album Lesser Matters was released in January 2003 to much critical acclaim. When re-released by XL Recordings the band started to reach audiences internationally. All three singles from the album were featured on the "Single of the Week" page in NME. The group enjoyed a more widespread recognition after three tracks ("Pulling Our Weight," "I Don't Like It Like This" and "Keen on Boys") were included on the soundtrack for Sofia Coppola's feature film Marie Antoinette.

In 2006, Pet Grief was released and in 2010, Clinging to a Scheme. A lot of international touring followed as well as a compilation of A and B-sides Passive Aggressive in 2011.

While writing on their fourth and final album under their deal with Labrador, the band got caught up in a legal battle with Labrador, which in distress ultimately made the band scrap the album they were working on.

After starting over, Running Out of Love was finally released in 2016.

The band left Labrador and decided to find a setup where they were in complete control of their releases. This resulted in forming the label Just So! in 2017. The band's studio work is an ongoing, continuous process which since the birth of Just So! have resulted in a couple of new singles.

Photo Credit: Andreas Olsson