Embrace Announce Ninth Album 'Avalanche' And 30th Anniversary UK Tour
Wednesday, 28 January 2026
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Simon Walker
Embrace have laid out plans for their ninth studio album.
The British indie stalwarts will release 'Avalanche' through Cooking Vinyl on June 12, marking their most honest, open, and raw work to date. Discussing the themes on the follow-up to 2022's 'How To Be A Person Like Other People', lead singer Danny McNamara said:
"We came into this album with a really simple idea: that real, deep, honest-to-God joy doesn’t live in the big, dramatic moments we’re all taught to chase. It doesn’t live in huge, unattainable goals or impressive, life-changing achievements. It lives in the small, almost invisible flashes of magic that happen when you slow down and actually live in the moment. Lyrically, I was trying to capture those little magic moments. Ironically, I’ve spent most of my life not noticing them, and when I finally did, they all came at once — it’s been pretty overwhelming. Which I guess is why the title AVALANCHE felt so right.
"There’s also a deep acceptance running through the whole record — that life is fragile, ridiculous, beautiful, terrifying, and short, all at once. Once you really sit with that, a lot of the pressure disappears. We weren’t trying to write something definitive, or sum everything up, or make any grand statement. We just wanted the songs to feel honest in the moment they were written. Ironically the less you consciously try to say something, the more you end up saying. I got out of my own way. Maybe in a way I haven’t been since the first album. Musically, that meant choosing feel over perfection.
"We wanted the music to sound human — rough around the edges — because the little moments of magic are never polished. You don’t build them, they just arrive. And if you’re paying attention, you might just capture something real. If you’re lucky. Lyrically, I wasn’t interested in distance or irony. I wanted to write from inside the feeling — whether that was love, panic, grief, obsession, or hope — and stay there long enough for it to tell the truth. A lot of the songs live in contradiction, but that tension felt honest.
"At its core, this album came from realising that life doesn’t wait for you to be ready. It just keeps happening — and you either show up for it or you don’t. The biggest change on Avalanche is that we stopped trying to figure everything out. This album probably asks more questions than it answers. We let songs stay uncomfortable. We let them say I don’t know, I’m scared, or this might never be enough. That felt more honest, open, and raw than anything we’ve done before."
Alongside the announcement, Embrace have shared the new single Road To Nowhere, which showcases their signature soaring, anthemic indie rock sound and heartfelt lyrics.
"It’s about the futility of a toxic relationship — the fact you don’t realise you’re on a road to nowhere until you reach the end of it," McNamara explained. "And really, all roads lead there eventually, so the only thing that matters is how you travel. That’s why the song feels uplifting as well as sad: because the intent was pure. There’s belief, optimism, a stubborn faith that love will get you somewhere better. In retrospect unfortunately in this instance that faith was deluded — the road didn’t lead where I thought it would — but the journey was real, and it was everything I had."
Alongside new music, the band have announced a UK tour for November to celebrate their 30th anniversary, following a number of festival appearances this summer. Check out the full dates below. Tickets go on sale at 10am on February 6.
They'll also mark the milestone with spoken-word shows, with McNamara set to tour the UK with an evening of stories about the band from this September to May 2027, alongside the release of a new book about the band's early years. Head here for details.
Ahead of the newly confirmed tour, Embrace will headline the Shiiine On Weekender at Butlin's Skegness in March and the Live At The Piece Hall series in Halifax in June. Tickets for those dates are on sale now.
'Avalanche' tracklist:
1. Stop
2. Road To Nowhere
3. Get Out Of My Own Way
4. Coming Home
5. Emily
6. Up In Your Feelings
7. Pure O
8. Deny
9. Funny
10. The Power
NEW // To celebrate three decades of @embrace, the band have announced a UK tour for this November, playing all their hits and fan faves from across their career.
Mon November 09 2026 - ABERDEEN Music Hall
Tue November 10 2026 - GLASGOW Barrowland
Thu November 12 2026 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE NX
Sat November 14 2026 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Sun November 15 2026 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Tue November 17 2026 - BRIGHTON Brighton Dome
Thu November 19 2026 - BRISTOL Bristol Beacon
Fri November 20 2026 - LONDON Roundhouse
Sat November 21 2026 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Sun November 22 2026 - CAMBRIDGE Cambridge Corn Exchange
Tue November 24 2026 - MARGATE Dreamland Margate, Hall By The Sea
Thu November 26 2026 - TORQUAY Arena Torquay
Fri November 27 2026 - SOUTHAMPTON O2 Guildhall Southampton
Sat November 28 2026 - CARDIFF Tramshed
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