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Feb 22, 2023 By Mark Redfern Photography by Juan Ortiz Arenas

Unknown Mortal Orchestra (the project led by New Zealand-born Ruban Nielson) are releasing a new album, V, on March 17 via Jagjaguwar. Now they have shared its newest single, “Nadja,” via a music video. Vira-Lata (aka Brazilian filmmaking duo Giordano Maestrelli and Duran Sodré) directed the “Nadja” video, which stars Mia Bueno and Fernanda Peyerl and is the sequel to the video for the album’s previous single, “Layla.” Watch it below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Vira-Lata collectively had this to say about the two videos in a press release: “We were in awe of the power of the songs’ simplicity; how its beauty rises without pretension, creating an honest and poetic testament that reaches into the heart. We wanted to match the poetic tenderness of the songs with a visually intimate storyline that felt extremely honest and showcased fleeting moments of a true friendship.”

The album includes “I Killed Captain Hook,” a single shared last November, and “Weekend Run,” a single from 2021. “Layla” was shared in early February, when the album was announced.

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 said in a previous 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.

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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