Coming almost four years after his album Splinter (Songs From A Broken Mind) earned the best reviews of his career and his highest chart-placing in 20 years, the iconic and highly influential Gary Numan will release his 22nd album Savage (Songs From A Broken World) on September 15. The announcement comes shortly after the British electro pioneer was awarded the Inspiration Award for songwriting and composition at the Ivor Novellos.Savage (Songs From A Broken World) is an album with a narrative set in an apocalyptic, post-global warming Earth in the not-too-distant future. There is no technology left and most of the planet has turned to a desolate desert wasteland. Food is scarce, water even more so, and human kindness and decency are just a dim and distant memory. Western and Eastern cultures have merged, more because of the need to simply survive than any feelings of greater tolerance or understanding. It’s a harsh, savage environment, as are the survivors who still roam across it.
While Numan was writing the record, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. It made sense to make him and his climate decisions the catalyst for the apocalypse theme of the album.
“The songs are about the things that people do in such a harsh and terrifying environment,” explains Numan. “It’s about a desperate need to survive and they do awful things in order to do so, and some are haunted by what they’ve done. That desire to be forgiven, along with some discovered remnants of an old religious book, ultimately encourages religion to resurface, and it really goes downhill from there.”
The album was produced by long-term collaborator Ade Fenton, with recording sessions split between Numan’s own studio in LA, and in the UK. Numan and Fenton’s creative connection goes back to 2006’s Jagged. “Ade is not only extremely creative but ridiculously hard working, even in difficult circumstances,” says Numan. “It’s easy to discuss alternative ideas with him; he’s not precious about things and is always looking to make the music better, even if that means, on very rare occasions, undoing his own work and starting again.”
As the project took shape, Numan also set up a Pledge Music campaign to create an experience for fans that would let them see how an album is put together, from the first note to the finished shrink-wrapped package. It was a strategy that brought Numan closer to his fans, and allowed him to communicate the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into making a record.
The album has today been previewed with its first single “My Name Is Ruin,” a menacing industrial march in which the unrelenting mechanized intensity is countered by the humanity of its sweet, swirling backing vocals that exude a palpable Egyptian influence. It’s immediately captivating but brutally uncompromising: the sound of an artist eager to continue to push both himself and his audience almost four decades after presenting his initial sonic prototype.
The upcoming video for the track was directed by visual artist and musician Chris Corner of IAMX. Filmed in the desolate deserts of Southern California, it features a special guest in the shape of Numan’s11-year-old daughter Persia, who also contributes vocals to the track. With the foreboding setting and temperatures reaching 118ºF during the shoot, the stunning location was the perfect backdrop for an album that examines a world struggling for survival after the devastation of global warming.
Savage (Songs From A Broken World) will be released on CD, deluxe CD, double vinyl, cassette, digital and MFiT formats. “My Name Is Ruin” is available today for download and streaming, and is available as an instant download with the full album iTunes pre-order.
Savage (Songs From A Broken World)
Standard CD Edition – Official Tracklisting
01. Ghost Nation
02. Bed Of Thorns
03. My Name Is Ruin*
04. The End Of Things
05. And It All Began With You
06. When The World Comes Apart
07. Mercy
08. What God Intended
09. Pray For The Pain You Serve
10. Broken
*Available Now!
The vinyl format adds “If I Said” (track 9) and “Cold” (track 12),
while “If I Said” also features on the deluxe CD (track 10)
In support of the album, Gary Numan will embark upon the North American Savage Tour, November-December 2017.The official tour routing and ticket links are below:
Gary Numan – Savage North American Tour Dates:
Nov 15 – The Observatory North Park; San Diego, CA
Nov 16 – Teragram Ballroom; Los Angeles, CA
Nov 17 – The Observatory; Santa Ana, CA
Nov 19 – The Fillmore; San Francisco, CA
Nov 21 – Wonder Ballroom; Portland, OR
Nov 22 – Neptune; Seattle, WA
Nov 23 – The Rickshaw Theatre; Vancouver
Nov 24 – Commonwealth; Calgary
Nov 26 – Pyramid Cabaret; Winnipeg
Nov 28 – First Avenue; Minneapolis, MN
Nov 29 – Thalia Hall; Chicago, IL
Nov 30 – St Andrews Hall; Detroit, IL
Dec 01 – Opera House; Toronto
Dec 04 – Paradise Rock Club; Boston, MA
Dec 06 – Union Transfer; Philadelphia, PA
Dec 07 – Brooklyn Street; Brooklyn, NY
Dec 09 – 9:30 Club; Washington DC
Dec 11 – The Masquerade – Heaven Stage; Atlanta, GA
Dec 12 – Exit / In; Nashville, TN
Dec 14 – Trees; Dallas, TX
Dec 15 – Warehouse Live Studio; Houston, TX
Nov 16 – Teragram Ballroom; Los Angeles, CA
Nov 17 – The Observatory; Santa Ana, CA
Nov 19 – The Fillmore; San Francisco, CA
Nov 21 – Wonder Ballroom; Portland, OR
Nov 22 – Neptune; Seattle, WA
Nov 23 – The Rickshaw Theatre; Vancouver
Nov 24 – Commonwealth; Calgary
Nov 26 – Pyramid Cabaret; Winnipeg
Nov 28 – First Avenue; Minneapolis, MN
Nov 29 – Thalia Hall; Chicago, IL
Nov 30 – St Andrews Hall; Detroit, IL
Dec 01 – Opera House; Toronto
Dec 04 – Paradise Rock Club; Boston, MA
Dec 06 – Union Transfer; Philadelphia, PA
Dec 07 – Brooklyn Street; Brooklyn, NY
Dec 09 – 9:30 Club; Washington DC
Dec 11 – The Masquerade – Heaven Stage; Atlanta, GA
Dec 12 – Exit / In; Nashville, TN
Dec 14 – Trees; Dallas, TX
Dec 15 – Warehouse Live Studio; Houston, TX
Dec 16 – The Mohawk; Austin, TX