Talk about a shocker: Thought to be retired from music and the public eye, David Bowie tonight announced he will release The Next Day — his first new album in a decade — this March, a collection preceded by the single “Where Are We Now?” that’s available immediately via iTunes and can be heard via its accompanying video.
The 14-track album, as well as a 17-track deluxe edition, will be released March 8 in Australia, March 11 in the “rest of the world excluding USA” and March 12 in the U.S., according to Bowie’s website. The album is available for pre-order now via iTunes, which also is selling the first single.
Not much is yet known about the record, which was announced out of the blue tonight on the eve of Bowie’s 66th birthday on Tuesday. The album art, as shown on iTunes (and which can be seen below), appears to be a play on the iconic cover of Bowie’s Heroes album.
Produced by Tony Visconti, the new album is Bowie’s first since 2003’s Reality.
UPDATE: We’ve posted the full text of the official press release announcing David Bowie’s return below, and added the current photo of Bowie that was released over night, and which you can see above. The album’s artwork and full tracklist is posted below as well.
WATCH THE VIDEO: David Bowie, “Where Are We Now?”
Where is David Bowie?
New Single and Pre-Order of First New Album in 10 Years Exclusively Launching in the iTunes Store Today
New York, NY–January 8, 2013–In the early morning hours of Tuesday the 8th January, Iso/Columbia Records released a new single by David Bowie titled ‘Where Are We Now?’ exclusively launching in the iTunes Store in 119 countries. David Bowie’s first new album in ten years and his 30th studio recording, THE NEXT DAY is also available as a pre-order on iTunes with a wide release scheduled for March. January the 8th is of course David Bowie’s birthday, a timely moment for such a treasure to appear as if out of nowhere.
Throwing shadows and avoiding the industry treadmill is very David Bowie despite his extraordinary track record that includes album sales in excess of 130 million not to mention his massive contributions in the area of art, fashion, style, sexual exploration and social commentary. It goes without saying that he has sold out stadiums and broken ticket records throughout the world during this most influential of careers.
In recent years radio silence has been broken only by endless speculation, rumor and wishful thinking ….a new record…who would have ever thought it, who’d have ever dreamed it! After all David is the kind of artist who writes and performs what he wants when he wants…when he has something to say as opposed to something to sell. Today he definitely has something to say.
Produced by long term collaborator Tony Visconti, ‘Where Are We Now?’ was written by Bowie, and was recorded in New York. The single is accompanied by a haunting video directed by Tony Oursler which harks back to David’s time in Berlin. He is seen looking in on footage of the auto repair shop beneath the apartment he lived in along with stark images of the city at the time and a lyric constantly raising the question Where Are We Now?
“The moment you know, you know you know” resonates from the new single’s lyric. Now we all know…David Bowie has been in the recording studio…just when we least expected it!!
Tracklist: David Bowie, The Next Day
1. “The Next Day”
2. “Dirty Boys”
3. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”
4. “Love Is Lost”
5. “Where Are We Now?”
6. “Valentine’s Day”
7. “If You Can See Me”
8. “I’d Rather Be High”
9. “Boss of Me”
10. “Dancing Out In Space”
11. “How Does the Grass Grow?”
12. “(You Will) Set the World On Fire”
13. “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die”
14. “Heat”
15. “So She” (Bonus Track)
16. “I’ll Take You There” (Bonus Track)
17. “Plan” (Bonus Track)
Perfect!
Someone pinch me! I’m very happy right now! Thank you David!
Stunning. Absolutely stunning.
Its been so long. The drought is finally over
Welcome back, Bowie! :)
I’m on a higher plain hearing this..
Love it, absolute legend
I echo what all the previous posters have said…best news I’ve heard in a long while.
What a splendid Birthday gift to us all!
FANTASTIC!!!! Hoping for a concert tour to go along with the release!!! Thanks David!!!
Still don’t believe it.
Wait…THE David Bowie? Egads!
Oh my god!! This is what I would have wished for if I had been given one wish for the recording industry! 2013 is starting out GRAND!!! Welcome back, Mr. Bowie!
this morning my son had a karate schedule that i brought down stairs and put next to the calender on fridge. i looked at todays date and said “bowie’s birthday” … turned on the computer and now this. its so beautiful and is very meaningful to me. thankyou db jb new jersey
What an amazing surprise to wake up to this morning! Can’t wait to hear it!
BOWIE is a true visionary indeed where are we now? Certainly not helping each other …Like we should as a human race….Most have become too selfish to do so …This sounds like HEATHEN, y favorie Bowie album crossed with OUTSIDE my least favorite!!! Interesting
Saying that Heathen is your fave Bowie LP is like saying In Through the Out Door is your fave Led Zep LP…
Yes! As my birthday immediately follows David’s I could not be happier with my gift. Thank you.
I can stop Googling: Bowie new album?
Love it- a very haunting,majestic track;can’t get it out of my head.
I just about wept openly when i found out about this today. Woohoo!!!!
something to look forward to.
SO happy! Thank you David.
Fabulous album. Concept-wise, production, sound. It’s Bowie in all his glory. SO thankful for this stream :)http://smarturl.it/DBowieAlbumStream