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Apr 29, 2025 By Mark Redfern Photography by Joe Dilworth

Stereolab are releasing Instant Holograms on Metal Film, their first new album in 15 years, on May 23 via Duophonic UHF Disks and Warp. Now they have released the album’s second single, “Melodie Is a Wound.” They have also put out an accompanying crossword puzzle and expanded their tour dates. Listen to the song below, followed by the crossword puzzle and the tour dates.

Alan Connor put together the crossword puzzle. Not only is he a Stereolab fan, but he has an impressive resume when it comes to puzzles. He’s the crossword editor for The Guardian, does the cryptic crossword for The Observer, has written several books (including 188 Words For Rain), and has also been question editor for the TV shows House of Games and Only Connect.

Connor had this to say about the Stereolab crossword in a press release: “Writing this puzzle I felt an unfamiliar sensation, at first in my knees. A recovered memory of Stereolab in a venue which sent the groop’s noise bursts—bass? sub-bass? whatever might be under that?—directly inside each of us in the crowd, reshaping us in wonderful ways. No one else has done that, but then no one else has done the alchemic things Stereolab has done. Happily for me, this is a band fond of titles which read just like fragments of cryptic clues. So long, that is, as your brain has been suitably warped by puzzles. Happily, mine has been warped this way—as well as my body by Stereolab. Thank you for the warping, thank you Warp and thank you Stereolab. By the way, I sincerely believe that anyone in public life would do public life better if they listened to Emperor Tomato Ketchup’s ‘Tomorrow Is Already Here’ a few times. What was then the future has borne out that one plenty.”

Previously Stereolab shared the album’s first single, “Aerial Troubles,” via a music video. “Aerial Troubles” was #2 on our Songs of the Week list.

Stereolab’s last studio album was 2010’s Not Music, although despite an indefinite hiatus the band has remained active since then reissuing older albums and since 2019 they have been touring. The band is led by founding members Laetitia Sadier and Tim Gane and also includes Andy Ramsay, Joseph Watson, and Xavier Muñoz Guimera. Instant Holograms on Metal Film also features Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, Ben LaMar Gay, Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf, Marie Merlet, and Molly Read.

Instant Holograms on Metal Film was teased with an “Aerial Troubles” 7-inch being mailed to select fans (with an instrumental version of the song on the B-side). Cryptic posters featuring a Stereolab word search also appeared in some major cities.

Sadier released a new solo album, Rooting For Love, in 2024 via Drag City.

In 2021, Sadier guested on Jarvis Cocker’s cover of Dalida’s 1973 duet with Alain Delon, “Paroles, Paroles.” It was featured on Cocker’s album, Chansons D’Ennui Tip-Top, which was a companion piece to Wes Anderson’s film, The French Dispatch.

Also read our 2014 interview with Sadier or our 2010 interview where Sadier and Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox interviewed each other.

Stereolab Tour Dates:

Europe Dates:
+ = Astrobal
* = TBC

5/24 - Dover, UK @ The Booking Hall * SOLD OUT
5/25 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique Les Nuits Botanique
5/26 - Köln, DE @ Gloria
5/28 - Hamburg, DE @ Grunspan
5/29 - Berlin, DE @ Huxley Neue Welt
5/30 - Frankfurt, DE @ Zoom
5/31 - Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
6/1 - Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
6/3 - Nantes, FR @ Stereolux +
6/4 - Paris, FR @ Le Trianon + SOLD OUT
6/5 - Bordeaux, FR @ Barbey +
6/6 - Barcelona, ESP @ Primavera Sound + SOLD OUT
6/7 - Madrid, ESP @ Teatro Eslava +
6/9 - Grenoble, FR @ La Belle Electrique +
6/10 - Ferrara, IT @ Ferrara Sotto le Stelle
6/11 - Zurich, CH @ Volkshaus +
6/12 - Munich, DE @ Hansa 36 +
6/14 - Zagreb, CR @ Tvornica Kulture +
6/15 - Budapest, HU @ A38 Ship +
6/16 - Vienna, AU @ WUK +
6/17 - Prague, CZ @ Meet Factory +
6/19 - Schorndorf, DE - Manufaktur +
6/20 - Luxembourg, LU @ Den Atelier +
7/11 - Cagliari, SD, IT @ Siren Festival

North American Dates:

+ = Memorials
@ = Dorothea Paas & Bitchin’ Bajas / Natural Information Society
* = Bitchin’ Bajas
^ = TBC

9/13 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl +
9/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse +
9/16 - Miami, FL @ Miami Beach Bandshell +
9/18 - New Orleans, LA @ The Civic Theatre +
9/19 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre +
9/20 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel +
9/21 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom SOLD OUT +
9/23 - Washington, D.C. @ The Howard Theatre +
9/24 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer SOLD OUT +
9/26 - Boston, MA @ Royale +
9/27 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre +
10/1 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel SOLD OUT +
10/2 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel @
10/3 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground SOLD OUT @
10/4 - Montreal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield SOLD OUT @
10/6 - Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall SOLD OUT @
10/7 - Buffalo, NY @ Asbury Hall @
10/8 - Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron @
10/9 - Chicago, IL @ Metro SOLD OUT @
10/10 - Chicago, IL @ Metro SOLD OUT
10/11 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue @
10/12 - Iowa City, IA @ Hancher Auditorium at the Englert Theatre @
10/14 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre @
10/17 - Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre *
10/18 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre SOLD OUT *
10/19 - Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom*
10/21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom SOLD OUT *
10/22 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom ^
10/24 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre SOLD OUT *
10/25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether SOLD OUT *
10/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether SOLD OUT ^
10/28 - San Diego, CA @ Observatory North Park *
10/30 - Marfa, TX @ The Capri SOLD OUT *
10/31 - Austin, TX @ TBC
11/1 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
11/2 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre *

Latin American Dates:

11/4 - Buenos Aires, ARG @ Complejo Art Media
11/7 - Santiago, CHI @ Fauna Primaversa
11/9 - São Paulo, BRA @ Balaclava Festival
11/12 - Mexico City, MX @ Foro Indie Rocks! SOLD OUT
11/13 - Mexico City, MX @ Foro Indie Rocks!

UK Dates:

12/5 - Brighton, UK @ Corn Exchange
12/6 - London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall SOLD OUT
12/8 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
12/9 - Leeds, UK @ Project House
12/11 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Ritz
12/12 - Wolverhampton, UK @ University of Wolverhampton at the Wulfrun Hall
12/13 - Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy
12/14 - London, UK @ Brixton Electric

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