Belle and Sebastian returned this past summer with their first new song in two years, “We Were Beautiful”. Add that to knock-out sets at festivals like Outside Lands and Panorama ahead of recently revealed 2018 tour dates, and fans have understandably been anticipating more news about upcoming releases. Today their fans have been answered, as the Scottish indie outfit has announced plans for a three-part EP series.
A trio of five-track EPs all under the umbrella title, How to Solve Our Human Problems, will be released one month apart on December 8th, January 19th, and February 16th, respectively. They will also all be collected in a 12-inch vinyl box and compilation CD set for February 16th.
“We Were Beautiful” serves as the lead single from the project and is featured on How to Solve Our Human Problems — Part 1; the band has also shared a new track from Part 2 called “I’ll Be Your Pilot”. Take a listen to the sweet and swaying song below.
According to a press release, How to Solve Our Human Problems is, at least in part, a way of confronting the negativity in the world with a gentle positivity. “It’s so easy to get up and condemn this politician or that act. But now I have this intrinsic notion that anger is a bad thing,” says frontman Stuart Murdoch. “So how do you respond to what’s happening in the world? What’s happening in the world has always happened. There’s always been cause to be angry. So let’s consider not being angry.”
For the album art, Belle and Sebastian invited 50 fans into a studio located in London’s Belsize Park, where they were each photographed by Murdoch. They were also asked the question, “How do you solve your human problems?”, and all their answers were recorded. How those recordings will tie into the EPs isn’t yet clear, but you can find the tracklists and cover art for each of the three releases below. Pre-orders for each respective EP, as well as the boxed collections, are available here, here, and here.
How to Solve Our Human Problems — Part 1 Artwork:
How to Solve Our Human Problems — Part 1 Tracklist:
01. Sweet Dew Lee
02. We Were Beautiful
03. Fickle Season
04. The Girl Doesn’t Get It
05. Everything Is Now
How to Solve Our Human Problems — Part 2 Artwork:
How to Solve Our Human Problems — Part 2 Tracklist:
01. Show Me the Sun
02. Same Star
03. I’ll Be Your Pilot
04. Cornflakes
05. A Plague on All Other Boys
How to Solve Our Human Problems — Part 3 Artwork:
How to Solve Our Human Problems — Part 3 Tracklist:
01. Poor Boy
02. Everything Is Now (Part Two)
03. Too Many Tears
04. There Is an Everlasting Song
05. Best Friend
How to Solve Our Human Problems Vinyl Boxset Artwork:
