Japan’s heavy rock legends Boris will return with a new album, W, on January 21, 2022, and they have already debuted the first single, Drowning By Numbers.
The album – their first for cult label Sacred Bones – is billed as a thematic counterpoint to 2020’s NO. Produced by suGar yoshinaga, W occupies a more melodic territory that purposefully contrasts the heavy of extremes of its predecessor.
Together, the two records spell ‘NOW’ and are intended to be considered part of the same whole – two sides of the band’s musical personality.
The first single, Drowning By Numbers, comes complete with a video that focuses on a gigantic dancing hat, which was captured in a live performance with a contemporary dance team and is exactly why we love Boris. You can check that out below.
While all the members of Boris’ current line-up have contributed vocals across the band‘s 29 year history, W is led by guitarist Wata. A master of fuzz manipulation, Wata recently announced her EarthQuaker Devices signature pedal, the Hizumitas, a replica of her beloved Elk BM Sustainar.
“I bought and tried a few real Big Muffs,” Wata recently told Guitar World. “But I instantly fell in love with this the first time I played it.”
W tracklisting
- I Want to Go to the Side Where You Can Touch…
- Icelina
- Drowning By Numbers
- Invitation
- The Fallen
- Beyond Good and Evil
- Old Projector
- You Will Know (Ohayo Version)
- Jozan
W is released on January 21, 2022, and available to preorder or pre-save (opens in new tab) now.
