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Mar 07, 2018 By Christopher Roberts Eleanor Friedberger

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Eleanor Friedberger (of the long on hiatus The Fiery Furnaces) is releasing a new album, Rebound, on May 4 via Frenchkiss. Previously she shared its first single, “In Between Stars.” Now “In Between Stars” has a video. Friedberger shot the video herself, which was edited by Danny Perez. It features distorted images of Friedberger driving a car and walking in the desert. Watch it below, followed by her upcoming tour dates.

Friedberger had this to say about the video in a press release: “I saw Danny do live visuals for Body/Head (Kim Gordon and Bill Nace) and Bjorn Copeland (formerly of Black Dice) while I was in LA in January. I thought his use of analog feedback and bold color fit the mood of Rebound perfectly. With a little moral support and instruction from Kim Gordon: ‘move around, just twirl.’ I turned the camera on myself and hit record.”

Rebound is the follow-up to 2016’s New View. The album was recorded mostly by Friedberger solo, with assistance from producer Clemens Knieper. A previous press release says Rebound is “an entirely new sound for Eleanor, exchanging live instrumentation for programmed drums, a Juno synthesizer, and muted guitars, creating a sonic landscape where influences range from Stereolab and Suicide to Lena Platonos and Yellow Magic Orchestra.” Friedberger is half-Greek and traveled to Greece frequently with her family. Rebound is inspired by time she spent in Greece in late 2016 and is named after an ‘80s goth disco in Athens. Below is a full statement from Friedberger on the album and the influence Greece had on it.

Friedberger had this to say in the previous press release: “I spent most of 2016 on the road, and I needed to keep that momentum going. I had always wanted to spend more time in Greece; take Greek lessons and get to know Athens better while hopefully writing some music. After November 8, 2016 I set that loose plan into motion. While friends back home were suddenly becoming politically activated for the first time, it was exciting to be living in a city where protest marches occur on a weekly, or sometimes daily basis. I assembled a band of Greek musicians, played a few shows, learned a few more Greek words, but didn’t get much writing done. It turned out to be more of a reconnaissance mission.

“After a month in Athens I asked my friend, the Greek musician Stella, ‘What’s one thing I have to do before I leave?’ After some long and careful consideration she smiled and said, ‘you have to go to Rebound. It’s a time warp; kind of an ‘80s goth disco where everyone does the chicken dance; you’ll love it… but it’s only open on Saturdays after 3:00 AM.’ Rebound proved to be a revelation in terms of finding the sound and energy for my fourth album. The club was very dark and despite the no smoking signs, like everywhere in Athens, it was very smoky. The ‘chicken dance’ Stella mentioned was a solitary one. I copied the slouchy strut, moving back and forth in line, swinging my arms in time to the music that at first sounded like Joy Division or maybe The Cure, but never revealed itself—one could only assume it to be knock-off by an unknown Baltic band. It was alienating and exhilarating.”

Eleanor Friedberger Tour Dates:

March 22: The Fox Theater, Pomona, USA*
March 23: Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara, USA*
April 4: Moth Club, London, UK
April 6: ZBD, Lisboa, Portugal
April 7: Auditorio Academia, Espinho
April 8: Costello Club, Madrid, Spain
April 9: Teatre del Raval (SONS), Castellon, Spain
April 11: La Lata de Bombillas, Zaragoza, Spain
April 12: Fabra i Coats, Barcelona, Spain
April 28: BSP, Kingston, USA
May 1: Bowery Ballroom, New York, USA
May 3: The Drake, Toronto, Canada
May 5: Lincoln Hall, Chicago, USA
May 9: The Moroccan Lounge, LA, USA
May 23: Uptown Theatre, KC, USA*
May 25: Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, USA*
May 26: Art Park, Buffalo, USA*
May 28: Metropolis, Montreal, Canada*
May 30: Sony Center, Toronto, Canada*
May 31: Benedum Centre, Pittsburgh, USA*
June 2: Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, USA*
June 5: Iroquois Amp, Louisville, USA*

* w/ The Decemberists

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