English rock band Placebo have shared their new song titled “Happy Birthday In The Sky,” which appears on their upcoming new album dubbed ‘Never Let Me Go’ (due out March 25th, pre-order).
A presser states, “Where the album’s opening singles considered themes of personal accountability, tech-saturation, and humanity’s true place in the world, ‘Happy Birthday In The Sky’ is Placebo at their heart-breaking best. Brian Molko grips every word and releases it in a flurry of controlled expressive outpouring, revisiting dark emotions to tell a story of loss and the mechanisms we use to cope with it.”
Molko comments, “Happy Birthday In The Sky for me, is one of the more heartbreaking moments on the album. Happy Birthday In The Sky is a phrase that I’ve been using for quite some time. When I say, happy birthday to people who aren’t with us anymore, it communicates the kind of heartbreak that we’re really, really good at communicating I think. You know that sense of loss, that sense of desperation. It’s as if a part of your body and your soul has been ripped from you unfairly. And you pine and you pine, and you wait.”
He adds, “What I am thinking is that this is kind of so visceral and so intense emotionally that it’s really going to communicate something very powerful to the listener. And that’s basically all I’m interested in. At what cost? Who cares. As long as the song really, really moves people, then whatever sacrifices you have to make in order to get there are fine with me. It’s not such a bad thing to inhabit these emotions – you’re very, very much alive and in the moment while you’re doing so.”
Listen:
Placebo will also embark on a run of headline UK / IE tour dates in 2022 – see all confirmed shows below.
PLACEBO UK + IE 2022 HEADLINE TOUR DATES
NOVEMBER 2022
Fri 18 – Portsmouth – Guildhall [TIX]
Sat 19 – Brighton – Brighton Centre [TIX]
Mon 21 – Liverpool – Eventim Olympia [TIX]
Tue 22 – Manchester – O2 Victoria Warehouse [TIX]
Thu 24 – Cardiff – Motorpoint Arena [TIX]
Sat 26 – London – O2 Brixton Academy [TIX]
Sun 27 – London – O2 Brixton Academy – SOLD OUT [Re-Sale TIX]
Tue 29 – Leicester – De Montfort Hall [TIX]
Wed 30 – Leeds – O2 Academy Leeds – SOLD OUT [Re-Sale TIX]
DECEMBER 2022
Fri 2 – Newcastle – O2 City Hall [TIX]
Sat 3 – Glasgow – O2 Academy Glasgow – SOLD OUT [Re-Sale TIX]
Mon 5 – Dublin – 3 Arena [TIX]
Wed 7 – Cambridge – Corn Exchange – SOLD OUT [Re-Sale TIX]
Thu 8 – Birmingham – O2 Academy 1 [TIX]
Placebo ‘Never Let Me Go’ album track listing:
1. Forever Chemicals
2. Beautiful James
3. Hugz
4. Happy Birthday In The Sky
5. The Prodigal
6. Surrounded By Spies
7. Try Better Next Time
8. Sad White Reggae
9. Twin Demons
10. Chemtrails
11. This Is What You Wanted
12. Went Missing
13. Fix Yourself
Also Check Out: Pixies share new video single “Human Crime”
