Broken Bells comprises producer Danger Mouse and The Shins’ James Mercer. Since their official debut in 2010, their self-titled LP, indie rock purists have oozed over their approach to bright, melodic soundscapes. Earlier this month, June 15 to be exact, Broken Bells made waves on Reddit forums after they switched the band’s profile picture on social media and captioned the change “June 29”. The speculations came in droves but the band put that all to rest today by announcing that June 29 will be the release date for the duo’s first single since 2019.
They announced the single by revealing its title, “We’re Not In Orbit Yet” which was accompanied by a fitting visual. The 20-second trailer does not preview any new music and depicts the Broken Bell’s logo spinning next to a space station.
Danger Mouse and James Mercer formed in 2010, their debut album was released through Sony and was greeted with great critical acclaim. This was followed up by the short Meyrin Fields EP the following year. It wasn’t until 2014 that Broken Bells released the highly anticipated follow-up After The Disco. Singles include the multi-dimensional “Holding The Line” which got dance remixes from the likes of Zeds Dead and Solomun. They have been relatively quiet since their sophomore effort, only releasing three singles, 2015’s “It’s That Talk Again”, 2018’s “Shelter” and 2019’s “Good Luck”.
Mercer is heading out on tour with The Shins this summer to celebrate the 21st anniversary of their debut album Oh, Inverted World. The tour will have Mercer on the road from July to September, so any hopes of him joining Danger Mouse in a live performance space seems dim. Danger Mouse is gearing up to release Cheat Codes, his collaborative album with the legendary Black Thought of The Roots. With so much on their individual plates already, any updates from the band are well received. Due to the band’s elusive nature, fans are just excited to hear that new music is on the way and hope that it isn’t a one-off single like in past years.
With a fresh profile picture and new single on the way, all signs are pointing to a full-length effort from Broken Bells coming sooner rather than later.
Check out the full post from Broken Bells below here.
