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Feb 02, 2023 By Mark Redfern Photography by Juan Ortiz Arenas

Unknown Mortal Orchestra (mainly the project of New Zealand-born Ruban Nielson) have announced a new album, V, and shared a new song from it, “Layla,” via a music video. V is due out March 17 via Jagjaguwar. Check out the “Layla” video below, followed by the album’s tracklist and cover art, as well as Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s previously announced upcoming tour dates.

VIRA-LATA directed the “Layla” video, which stars Mia Bueno and Fernanda Peyerl. The album includes “I Killed Captain Hook,” a single shared last November, and “Weekend Run,” a single from 2021.

V was recorded in Palm Springs with Nielson’s brother, Kody Nielson, alongside their father, Chris Nielson (saxophone/flute), and longstanding Unknown Mortal Orchestra member Jake Portrait. At the start of the pandemic, Nielson took a break from recording and spent some time in Hawaii to be there for a sick uncle and to help his mother and another uncle move to Hawaii from New Zealand and Portland. There was also a family wedding in Hawaii. The Nielson brothers then returned to Palm Springs to finish the album.

“In Hawaii, everything shifted off of me and my music,” Ruban Nielson says in a press release. “Suddenly, I was spending more time figuring out what others need and what my role is within my family. I also learned that things I thought were true of myself are bigger than I thought. My way of making mischief—that’s not just me—that’s my whole Polynesian side. I thought I was walking away from music to focus on family, but the two ended up connecting.”

In 2018, Unknown Mortal Ochestra released two albums: Sex & Food and IC-01 Hanoi.

V Tracklist:

1. The Garden
2. Guilty Pleasures
3. Meshuggah
4. The Widow
5. In The Rear View
6. That Life
7. Layla
8. Shin Ramyun
9. Weekend Run
10. The Beach
11. Nadja
12. Keaukaha
13. I Killed Captain Cook
14. Drag

Unknown Mortal Orchestra 2023 Dates:

3/20 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory Concert House
3/21 - Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
3/22 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
3/22-26 - Boise, ID @Treefort Music Festival
3/25 - Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre
3/27 - Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
3/28 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
3/29 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
3/31 - San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
4/1 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
4/2 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
4/4 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
4/5 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
4/6 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
4/7 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
4/8 - Chicago, IL @ Radius
4/10 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
4/11 - Toronto, ON @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
4/13 - New York City, NY @ Webster Hall
4/14 - New York City, NY @ Webster Hall
4/15 - New York City, NY @ Webster Hall
4/18 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
4/19 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
4/21 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
4/22 - Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
5/28 - Brussels, Belgium @ Core Festival
5/30 - Bexhill, UK @ De La Warr Pavilion
5/31 - London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton
6/15 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall
6/16 - Leeds, UK @ Stylus
6/17 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 Galvanizers

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