credit: Aurélie Scouarnec
Today Yann Tiersen has released his highly-anticipated new album Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour (buy/listen HERE). One album divided into two distinct, interconnected parts, each with its own unique sonic characteristics. One introspective piano part meditating on identity and one electronic and dynamic part to fuel an uprising against the systems that bind us. The release is joined by a new single and video, “Ninnog.”
“Ninnog” (the name of Tiersen’s sailboat) is a slow, steady and unfurling piece that sets the tone for a record that reveals itself in beautiful and unexpected shifts. Accompanied by a video directed by Murat Gökmen, who also directed the video for “Ninnog at Sea”, the track opens Rathlin from a Distance’s eight instrumental piano pieces.
The album release has been punctuated with singles like “Rathlin from a Distance,” a meditation on identity that highlights Tiersen’s exceptional piano playing and “Ninnog at Sea,” an electronic anthem blending Tiersen’s seafaring reflections into a dynamic track that pulses with rage, hope and the call to dismantle and rebuild for a radiant collective future. Yann’s most recent releases are “Arne,” an expansive and hypnotic soundscape interwoven with QUINQUIS’ ethereal vocals and “Caledonian Canal,” a masterclass of stripped back tenderness.
Listen to Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour HERE.
Yann Tiersen will perform live at a sold-out show at Barbican in London on April 19, 2025. Two new in-stores have also been announced at Rough Trade Bristol on April 17, and Liverpool on April 21, along with new European tour dates. The full live dates are listed below.
YANN TIERSEN LIVE DATES:
4/17/2025 – Bristol, UK - Rough Trade
4/19/2025 – London, UK - Barbican
4/21/2025 – Liverpool,UK - Rough Trade
4/25/2025 - Berlin, DE - Rough Trade
10/21/2025 - Bern,CH - Mühle Hunziken
10/24/2025 - Berlin, DE - Huxleys
10/26/2025 - Groningen - NL - De Oosterpoort
10/29/2025 - Antwerp, BE - De Roma
10/30/2025 - Paris, FR - Le CENTQUATRE
10/31/2025 - Vendôme, FR - Le Rockomotives Festival
11/1/2025 - Duesseldorf, DE - New Fall Festival
11/3/2025 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg
11/5/2025 - Winterthur, CH - Salzhaus
11/6/2025 - Milan, IT - Alcatraz
11/9/2025 - Barcelona, ES - Paral·lel 62
11/10/2025 - Madrid, ES - Wagon
11/11/2025 - Porto, PT - Coliseu do Porto
11/12/2025 - Lisbon, PT - Sagres Campo Pequeno
Rathlin from a Distance features eight instrumental piano pieces, each named after a location Tiersen visited during his 2023 sailing tour. From the Atlantic’s Fastnet Lighthouse to the Faroe Islands, Shetland, and the tranquil waters of the Caledonian Canal in Scotland, these tracks reflect a journey of self-discovery and self. Tiersen’s piano work creates an almost hypnotic atmosphere, each stop on the journey marking a deeper level of consciousness. The music evokes a sense of space and introspection.
While Rathlin from a Distance is meditative, The Liquid Hour, which Tiersen was working on when he decided things needed to be torn down, is a bold and urgent musical statement, which opens with an epic, sweeping track that channels Tiersen’s desire for social and political change. The inspiration for this section of the album was rooted in Tiersen’s experiences at sea, particularly a moment when he gazed upon the lights of Belfast, alone at the helm of his sailboat in the middle of the night, after nearly two months at sea. This moment of serenity led to deep reflections on the city’s troubled history and its connection to broader political struggles. The expansive sonic palette of The Liquid Hour blends atmospheric ambient music, hypnotic grooves, and striking electronic instrumentation, with the haunting vocals of Émilie Quinquis adding a powerful dimension to the album’s message.
Tiersen’s innovative use of vintage and electronic instruments, including the Ondioline, a rare 1930s electronic instrument loaned to him by Gotye’s Forgotten Futures organization, adds a rich texture to the recordings. He also employed four different drum machines to create tribal rhythms and pulsing beats that push the boundaries of electronic music. The Liquid Hour is an exploration of both personal and collective power, a call to action set against the backdrop of global crises.
Tiersen has long embraced sustainability in his touring practices, opting to travel by sailboat and campervan in order to embrace slow touring and minimise his environmental impact, re-writing the script for what it means to be a touring musician in the modern age. This approach embodies the album’s broader themes of reflection, environmental awareness, and the search for deeper meaning in a world defined by crisis and change. “At sea, you get to see the world as it is,” says Tiersen. “The sea is the ultimate reality. There are no borders, and you can go everywhere. It really hits home the bullshit of borders.”
The Liquid Hour culminates with a powerful closing track named after Dolores Ibárruri, the Spanish anti-fascist, known for her legendary "¡No Pasarán!" speech, a defiant call for action against capitalism, post-colonialism, and the ongoing ecocide. As Tiersen puts it, “It’s not about anger. It’s about finding a way to change.”
Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour is an album that spans the full spectrum of human emotion, from introspective reflection to powerful calls for change. With a unique blend of acoustic and electronic elements, it marks a bold new chapter in Yann Tiersen’s musical evolution.
Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour is available on vinyl, CD and digitally today via Mute. Purchase it HERE. The sheet music for the album is available now, published by Hal Leonard.
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