[News] Empire of the Sun Announce Sophomore LP with Extravagant Trailer
Despite being only three months in, this year has already proven immensely memorable. Numerous bands and artists have made comebacks, emerged from the shadows of hiatus, or made plans for long-awaited follow-ups to great albums. Daft Punk is enough to have me hard (sorry for any unwanted visuals).
Empire of the Sun are the latest band to mark their return in 2013. The Australian duo have long been absent, vanishing not long after supporting their 2008 debut album Walking on a Dream. But, Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore are back, and they've brought exciting news with them. Their sophomore album, officially titled Ice on the Dune, will be released this June, and to make the announcement more cinematic the pair unveiled a grandiose album trailer. Watch the trailer above, and below you can read the band's fantastical description of the album's concept:
Once, the world was pure. It was the Emperor and the Prophet who kept it thus. Each day, they charted the sun’s course across the sky, guided rivers down from mountain peaks, brought rains to quench raging fires.
With the aid of their four priests, who possessed spirits of wild animals, they travelled the world tirelessly, maintaining nature’s delicate balance, allowing all things to grow and flourish — always with the aid of the sacred jewel held atop the Emperor’s crown…
But one night, as the Emperor slumbered, recovering from his labours, true darkness appeared. The King of Shadows, ever the bitter foe of the Empire, and all it had achieved, crept into their temple. Craving the Emperor’s power, he stole the jewel from his crown– and in an instant the world was changed.
Robbed of the bulk of his power, the Emperor and the Prophet watched helplessly as their temple was torn asunder, and their priests cast far out into the world.
But even in that moment, when all appeared lost, there was one thing that the King of Shadows black heart simply could not have imagined… The Emperor and the Prophet have never abandoned hope."