After a fifteen year hiatus, avant-pop band Stereolab finally return with the 11th studio album we have all been waiting for; Instant Holograms On Metal Film which was co-released with their own label Duophonic UHF Disks and Warp Records. Laetitia Sadler and Tim Gane reunite the English-French pop odyssey to create a record that I think combines all the best parts of the extensive Stereolab back catalogue.
The album opens with uber-80s modular synth fever dream ‘Mystical Plosives’, a minute-long instrumental of sci-fi madness which will no doubt be pleasing to any Minimoog fan that acts as a delightful palette cleanser for the ears to prepare you as the listener for the musical journey that you are about to embark upon.
The second track is ‘Aerial Troubles’, the first single which some fans, to their surprise, received a 7″ single of in the mail on the lead up to it’s release with an a instrumental version on the flip side. The package arrived with a stamp stating “Unsolicited Stereolab material” accompanied by a wordsearch that left fans online puzzling over the meaning and hidden message. ‘Aerial Troubles’ was released on 8th April on all streaming platforms alongside an equally puzzling AI generated very David Lynch-ian music video.
My personal favourite Stereolab tracks have always been ones that push the envelope out even further into the exploration of genre, for example ‘Our Trinitone Blast’ from their ’93 album Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements which metamorphosed their signature modular pop stylings with the heavy, dissonant noise-rock that was popular at the time. Another example would be ‘How To Play Your Internal Organs Overnight’ from their Switched On 3 series, the juxtaposition between classical instrumentation and unnatural, wobbly synth bass tones a clear and masterful ode to Wendy Carlos’ Switched On Bach. From the new record, I think that ‘Colour Television’ is one of these tracks, the band stepping into a more mellow, indie feel with an instrumentation that -as far as Stereolab goes- has a fairly natural sonic landscape and contemplative vocal line that to me is strikingly akin to Cate Le Bon.
‘Transmuted Matter’ is a song on the album that sinks so sweetly into that iconic French feel that gives Stereolab their edge, Sadier’s vocal melody seductively gliding over languid guitar flourishes might just make this track one of my favourites off Instant Holograms On Metal Film. This song was also released on 20th May so be sure to listen to it now to get you in the mood for the release of the album, which comes out on 23rd May wherever you listen to music.
Stereolab are touring globally this year with UK dates in December, including newly announced dates in London at Brixton Electric on 14th December, Wolverhampton at the University of Wolverhampton at the Wulfrun Hall on 12th December, and a tour warm-up show at The Booking Hall in Dover on 24th May. Many shows are now sold out. See a full list of live dates below.
May 2025
24 – The Booking Hall – Dover, England
25 – Botanique [Les Nuits Botanique] – Brussels, Belgium
26 – Gloria – Köln, Germany
28 – Grunspan – Hamburg, Germany
29 – Huxleys Neue Welt – Berlin, Germany
30 – Zoom – Frankfurt, Germany
31 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, The Netherlands
June 2025
1 – Doornroosje – Nijmegen, The Netherlands
3 – Stereolux – Nantes, France
4 – Le Trianon – Paris, France
5 – Barbey – Bordeaux, France
6 – Primavera Sound – Barcelona, Spain – SOLD OUT
7 – Teatro Eslava – Madrid, Spain
9 – La Belle Electrique – Grenoble, France
10 – Ferrara Sotto le Stelle [Cortile del Castello] – Ferrara, Italy
11 – Volkshaus – Zurich, Switzerland
12 – Hansa 36 – Munich, Germany
14 – Tvornica Kulture – Zagreb, Croatia
15 – A38 Ship – Budapest, Hungary – Events – A38 Ship
16 – WUK – Vienna, Austria
17 – Meet Factory – Prague, Czech Republic
19 – Manufaktur – Schorndorf, Germany
20 – Den Atelier – Luxembourg, Luxembourg
July 2025
11- Siren Festival – Arena In The Fiera – Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
September 2025
13 – Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
14 – Variety Playhouse – Atlanta, GA
16 – Miami Beach Bandshell – Miami, FL
18 – Civic Theatre – New Orleans, LA
19 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA
20 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
21 – Haw River Ballroom – Saxapahaw, NC – SOLD OUT
23 – The Howard Theatre – Washington, DC
24 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia. PA – SOLD OUT
26 – Royale – Boston, MA
27 – State Theatre – Portland, ME
October 2025
1 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY – SOLD OUT
2 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn, NY
3 – Higher Ground – Burlington, VT – SOLD OUT
4 – Théâtre Beanfield – Montreal, QC – SOLD OUT
6 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON – SOLD OUT
7 – Asbury Hall – Buffalo, NY
8 – Globe Iron – Cleveland, OH
9 – Metro – Chicago, IL – SOLD OUT
10 – Metro – Chicago, IL – SOLD OUT
11 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
12 – Hancher Auditorium at the Englert Theatre – Iowa City, IA
14 – Gothic Theatre – Denver, CO
17 – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC
18 – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA – SOLD OUT
19 – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR
21 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – SOLD OUT
22 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
24 – Rio Theatre – Santa Cruz, CA – SOLD OUT
25 – The Bellwether – Los Angeles, CA – SOLD OUT
26 – The Bellwether – Los Angeles, CA – SOLD OUT
28 – Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA
30 – Ballroom Marfa – Marfa, TX – SOLD OUT
31 – TBC – Austin, TX
November 2025
1 – White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
2 – Granada Theatre – Dallas, TX
4 – Complejo Art Media – Buenos Aires, Argentina
7-8 – Fauna Primavera – Santiago, Chile
9 – Balaclava Fest – São Paulo, Brazil
12 – Foro Indie Rocks! – Mexico City, Mexico – SOLD OUT
13 – Foro Indie Rock! – Mexico City, Mexico
December 2025
5 – Brighton Dome Corn Exchange – Brighton, England
6 – Royal Festival Hall – London, England – SOLD OUT
8 – SWG3 Galvanisers – Glasgow, Scotland
9 – Project House – Leeds, England
11 – O2 Ritz – Manchester, England
12 – Wulfrun Hall – Wolverhampton, England
13 – O2 Academy – Oxford, England
14 – Brixton Electric – London, England
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