Bloc Party name fifth album ‘Hymns’, share ‘The Love Within’

Bloc Party have officially marked their return with new single ‘The Love Within’, their first in over two years.

The track, which is to appear on the band’s upcoming fifth album, revealed to be titled ‘Hymns’, was premiered as Hottest Record on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show tonight.

Speaking to Mac on the show, frontman Kele Okereke called this “a new day for Bloc Party.” ‘Hymns’ doesn’t have an official release date yet, but Okereke said they’re working on plans for “the start of next year”.

Despite the singer introducing “Bloc Party mk.2” in a Maida Vale session for BBC 6 Music earlier today, ‘The Love Within’ immediately harks back to the band’s older material, borrowing the line “give me grace and dancing feet” from ‘The Prayer’ in its first moments.

The first single from LP5 indicates guitars are still out for Kele and co, continuing the more electronic sound ushered in on 2009’s ‘Intimacy’ and the band’s most recent record, 2012’s ‘Four’.

After a run of a few American shows in August, the band are set to play their first UK and European live dates in over two years in November and December, with a London show at St John’s Church in Hackney set for 4th December.

View the band’s tour dates and stream ‘The Love Within’ below.

NOVEMBER

09 Glasgow, ABC2
27 Amsterdam, Paradiso
28 Cologne, Live Music Hall
29 Berlin, Astra Kulturhaus

DECEMBER

01 Paris, Alhambra
02 Brussels, Cirque Royal
03 Manchester, Albert Hall
04 London, St John at Hackney