Broken Bells
Broken Bells | Credit: Shervin Lainez + Nikki Fenix

Danger Mouse & James Mercer Revive Broken Bells, Release New Single

Broken Bells are back, baby. Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) and James Mercer (The Shins) have officially reignited their much-loved musical partnership, releasing a brand new single and sharing details of their upcoming third album.

Dubbed ‘We’re Not In Orbit Yet…’, the duo’s comeback single is just as dark and lush as fans would hope. The retro-futuristic jam is laced with acoustic guitar and features quasi-hypnotic backing vocals intended to emulate “the siren song of a master brainwasher”.

The new single is the first taste of Broken Bells’ third album

‘We’re Not In Orbit Yet…’ comes with a striking music video directed by Johnny Chew, which features Broken Bells’ trademark cosmic imagery and ominous sci-fi visuals.

‘We’re Not In Orbit Yet…’ is the first taste of the band’s first album in eight years, INTO THE BLUE. Burton and Mercer first got together in 2009 and released their debut album, Broken Bells, the following year. Their second album together was 2014’s After the Discowhich included the single ‘Holding On For Life’.

More details about INTO THE BLUE will be revealed in the coming weeks. The Shins’ most recent album, Heartworms, came out in 2017 and was self-produced by Mercer. In recent years, Danger Mouse has produced albums for Michael Kiwanuka, Parquet Courts, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Further Reading

James Mercer Talks Anxiety Struggles & The Future Of Broken Bells

Review: Broken Bells – After The Disco

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