Photo credit: Ellika Henriksson
"The process of coming to terms with reality without losing hope is easier said than done. Thankfully, Against the Dying of the Light provides the right mix of stirring calls to action, with acoustic guitar and moments of meditation to make the years-long process a little less daunting." -Pitchfork “The singer-songwriter’s ambitious new record blends heady, wide-ranging subject matter with gorgeously atmospheric, guitar-focused arrangements… Ultimately, Against the Dying of the Light succeeds as a whole because it’s so layered, offering aesthetic beauty and room-filling atmosphere on the surface and tangled concepts to wrestle with the deeper you go.These are qualities that Mr. González has been combining in his music all along,but perhaps never as effectively as he does here.” -Wall Street Journal José González has released his new album, Against The Dying Of The Light, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based singer-songwriter and guitarist’s fifth studio LP and first new collection of original songs in more than four years. A lyric video for the new single, “You & We,” is streaming now on YouTube. “Is ‘You & We’ a love song?” asks González. “Or does it concern the idea that an ideology focused only on the in-group is incomplete? The listener can decide. While writing it, I was inspired by gospel, soul, and choir music. I was listening to a lot of Nina Simone at the time.” WATCH THE “YOU & WE” LYRIC VIDEO HERE. PURCHASE OR STREAM AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT HERE.Against The Dying Of The Light – which follows, and in many ways serves as a sister volume to, 2021’s acclaimed Local Valley – sees González once again commenting on humanity and its uncertain future through the power of his distinctively engaging, deeply contemplative, acoustic-based songcraft. Inspired by the forward-thinking work of Jonathan Haidt, Liv Boeree, Yuval Harari, and Steven Pinker, the award-winning artist presents a wide-ranging collection of nuanced songs that explore big ideas with clarity and intention. The album touches upon subjects such as Game Theory, moral philosophy, and the narratives we use to explain our world. González also confronts the ethical ambiguity of modern technology and how it drives progress while simultaneously challenging our sense of humanity. These themes are delivered with warmth and immediacy through his intuitive vocals and singularly inventive finger-picking guitar. “Against The Dying Of The Light is a collection of songs reflecting on humanity,” says González. “Who we are – tribes of sentient apes with stories that sometimes are incompatible with each other and tools that could eventually lead to dystopia or extinction. It’s also a reflection of how we create hurdles to human flourishing by stubbornly clinging to dogmatic ideologies, where people follow dudes who pretend to know shit they don’t. “As a concerned world citizen, I wrote these songs as a reflection of our times. Times of amazing progress, but also worrying backslides to dogmatic tribal ideologies and an extremely uncertain future. These are songs about how we can navigate humanity towards flourishing on an individual and a collective level. They can be listened to just for the sounds, harmonies, and rhythms, but the lyrics are meant to inspire people to engage and take action by collaborating to solve collective problems. For humanism and enlightenment values and against the dying of the light.”
Against The Dying Of The Light was initially heralded by González’s lighter side with the single, “Pajarito,” a song he sings in Spanish and dedicates to his son, Mateo. It was accompanied by a playful official music video inspired by the interaction between Swedish folk art and artificial intelligence. It was followed by the album’s title track, along with an official music video directed by filmmaker Fredrik Egerstrand (known for 2010’s award-winning documentary The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of José González). “A Perfect Storm” was the most recently released single. It is inspired by both the sound of González’s groundbreaking live performances and by diverse influences such as West Saharan desert blues, post-hardcore heroes Quicksand, and experimental rock combo Battles. The dynamic track sees González warning against what many AI experts describe as a “race to lose control,” with propulsive rhythmic fingerpicking that builds to a thrillingly distorted peak beneath his intimate vocal performance. Rather than offering easy answers, González captures the emotional weight of living inside this accelerating moment – caught between awe and anxiety, hope and hubris. An official music video is in production and will premiere soon. WATCH “PAJARITO” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
WATCH “PAJARITO” HOME VIDEO WATCH “AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO LISTEN TO “A PERFECT STORM”
González will celebrate the arrival of Against The Dying Of The Light with a wide-ranging international headline tour. US dates begin April 21 at Boston, MA’s Royale and continue through mid-May. Support throughout comes from Toronto, ON-based folk-pop musician Abby Sage. For complete details and ticket information, please visit jose-gonzalez.com/tour-dates. González recently took the 10% Pledge, a public commitment to give 10% of his income to effective charities fighting extreme poverty via Giving What We Can. Members of his Pledge Club have thus far donated over $175,000 to charitable organizations such as Helen Keller International, Against Malaria Foundation, New Incentives, and the GiveWell Top Charities Fund. For more information or to request an invitation to González’s Pledge Club, please visit givewithjose.com.
JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ - TOUR 2026
APRIL
21 - Boston, MA - Royale
22 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
23 - Washington, DC - 9:30 CLub
25 - New York, NY - Brooklyn Steel
27 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
28 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
MAY
1 - Seattle, WA - SODO
2 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
3 - San Francisco, CA - Castro Theater (SOLD OUT)
4 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbos
5 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether (SOLD OUT)
8 - Austin, TX - Mohawk Outside
9 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
11 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
JUNE 14 – Stockholm, Sweden – Rosendal Garden Party
JULY 3 – Gent, Belgium – Gent Jazz
9 – Huesca, Spain – Pirineos Sur
10 - A Coruña, Spain - Palacio De La Opera
11 – Feldkirch, Austria – Poolbar
17 – Göteborg, Sweden – Slakthuset Block Party
25 - Kapolcs, Hungary - Hungary Valley of the Arts Festival
26 - North Wiltshire, UK - Womad Festival
29 - Madrid, Spain - Teatro Real
AUGUST
28 - Rättvik, Sweden - Dalhalla
29 - Malmö, Sweden - Folkets Park
OCTOBER
28 – Barcelona, Spain – Paral-lel 62
29 – Valencia, Spain – La Rambleta
30 – Murcia, Spain – Sala Mamba!
31 – Sevilla, Spain – Cartuja Center Cite
NOVEMBER
1 – Lisboa, Portugal – Misty Festival @ Coliseu Lisboa
2 – Porto, Portugal – Misty Festival @ Coliseu do Porto
14 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
15 – Zürich, Switzerland – Volkshaus
17 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
18 – München, Germany – Muffathalle
19 – Prague, Czech Republic – Archa+
20 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
21 – Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom
23 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Ronda
24 – Paris, France – Le Trianon
25 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
26 – London, United Kingdom – Eventim Apollo
Tickets can be found HERE. |
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