New Music To Hear: Nation of Language “Under the Water”

In what might be their biggest year yet, Nation of Language is gearing up for the release of their upcoming album, Dance Called Memory, out Sept. 19, with “Under the Water.” As one of the most prolific alt synth-pop bands to come out of this decade, the anticipation for their Sub Pop debut couldn’t be higher, especially when the singles released thus far have been raising the bar. “Under the Water” is no different.

“This was the last one to make the cut before we turned the record in,” said lead vocalist Ian Devaney. “We’d always had a lot of enthusiasm for the track, but the studio schedule had gotten a bit unwieldy over the holidays and an arbitrary deadline had been set…As such we’d turned in the final album mixes for mastering before getting on the plane and I’d resigned myself to saving ‘Under the Water’ for some subsequent release down the line.”

Fortunately for listeners, the marriage between retro synths and pop rhythms came earlier than expected. “Under the Water” is among the strongest singles the band has released to date, where the sentimentality heard in the vocals carries over to how the production itself exudes the same sense of longing.

While the instrumental is unsurprisingly show-stopping – bringing together elements of electronic music from the mid to late 20th century and indie sensibilities you can only get from the present day – the songwriting especially cuts deep. As the synths shimmer throughout, the calmness in Devaney’s voice disarms the otherwise painful lyrics.

It’s one of those songs that creeps up on you, proving just how far the Brooklyn band has come since their debut album in 2020.

See Nation of Language in LA at The Fonda Theater on Oct. 15 and 16.

Visit Nation of Language on Instagram and their website to stay updated on new releases and tour dates.

Listen to “Under the Water” the new single from Nation of Language below!

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