Bloc Party Band Release New Passionate Single “High Life”
Bloc Party Band – British indie rock unit Bloc Party have shared their upbeat new single High Life. Crazy, this single was released on April 21, 2023, in the middle of their extensive tour with Paramore.
Earlier this April, Bloc Party released a teaser to fans by confirming that new music was in progress. Now, this new music has arrived in the form of a new single, which marks their first new music since Alpha Games’ sixth album, which was released in 2022.
According to these indie rockers, High Life was created to represent new feelings of love and replicate those highs during the beginning of a relationship. Frontman Kele Okereke said of the new single, “I wanted High Life to sound like falling in love again, the start of a new love affair, cemented by nights of abandonment and stolen moments of intimacy. I really wanted it to feel like a celebration.”
The single comes amidst the band’s ongoing tour with pop-punk veterans Paramore. A series of live dates took place across North America and the UK and included a performance at London’s O2 Arena on April 23, 2023.
The collaboration between Bloc Party Band and Paramore also follows Hayley Williams’ praise of the band on the BBC Sounds Everything Is Emo podcast. Hayley Williams credited the Bloc Party as Paramore’s “number one reference”.
Hayley Williams added: “I’m really thankful for this band, I’m so grateful that they’re back, they’re playing shows, they’re putting out great songs. And it just makes me feel even more excited to be back out there.”
Alongside their upcoming appearance with Hayley Williams—and of course, Paramore, Bloc Party will also put on some intimate headlining acts, before heading back to England for a festival performance.
On the other hand, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke told NME in 2022 that he’s more excited about the energy the band has today than worrying about their legacy. At the time he said there might be aspects of the sound that were familiar, but the band’s chemistry was different and he was passionate about it all.
“Obviously we have history and heritage, but I’m more excited about the energy the band has today because it’s not something we could have done in the past. Without diminishing respect for our former members, I feel that the world of music is in a place it has never been before. I am pleased that we have only really scratched the surface of what we are capable of,” he continued.
In a three-star review of their latest full-length release, NME praised Bloc Party for capturing the energy and attitude that made them one of the most exciting groups to emerge from the crowded 2000s scene.
Bloc Party Band consists of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass, keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals), and Louise Bartle (drums, percussion). This British indie rock unit has its roots in rock but retains elements of other genres such as electronic and house music.
The band was formed at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack. They went by various names before deciding on Bloc Party in 2003. In February 2005, the band released their debut album, Silent Alarm, which was critically acclaimed and was named “Indie Album of the Year” at the 2006 PLUG Award and the NME Album of the Year.
Bloc Party built on their success in 2007 with the release of their second studio album, A Weekend In The City, which peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and number twelve on the Billboard 200. In August 2008, Bloc Party released their third studio record, Intimacy, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number eight and number eighteen on the Billboard 200.
The band went on hiatus in October 2009 to focus on side projects and reunited in September 2011. Shortly thereafter, Bloc Party released their fourth album, Four, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number three. In 2013, Bloc Party released their third EP entitled The Nextwave Sessions. The band then embarked on an indefinite hiatus to continue their individual side projects.
The band’s fifth studio album, Hymns, is the first with Harris and Bartle and was officially released in January 2016. Their sixth studio album, Alpha Games, was released in April 2022. Bloc Party Band alone has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide.
