The Libertines share new single ‘Night of the Hunter’
The Libertines have teased their upcoming album All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade with the new single ‘Night of the Hunter’.
The new track, which features Pete Doherty and Carl Barât rotating vocal duties in trademark style, follows the previous release ‘Run, Run, Run’. While the first single was an upbeat ode to hedonism, The Libertines take a darker turn on ‘Night of the Hunter’, as the protagonist deals with the impending consequences of his actions.
Doherty said of the track: “We got the title from Charles Laughton’s directorial debut Night Of The Hunter starring Robert Mitchum as a preacher with ‘LOVE’ and ‘HATE’ tattooed on his knuckles. The song’s about not staying ahead of the law. This fella doesn’t really know why his mate’s dead, but he’s got a feeling his mate had it coming to him.”
The singer-songwriter continued: “He fucked with the wrong people, and he stole something he shouldn’t have, and he got stabbed. So, he’s angry and hurt and he has to go and get revenge, so he does and that’s it for him, basically. Once he has stabbed the lad who stabbed his mate, that’s it for him. He lashed out in revenge and he knows they’re coming to get him and he’s not even going to try and run because he knows he’ll just be running forever.”
Carl Barât added: “I started writing a riff and it ended up sounding a bit like Swan Lake, and everyone went, ‘Yeah!’ Then we got Peter’s theremin player in which took about a day to get in tune, then he played that sequence and it worked beautifully.”
“The idea of getting carted off for ten years is horrendous… the condemned man dies 1000 times,” Barât continued.
The new LP is set for release on March 8th through EMI and marks the first album by the group since 2015’s Anthems For Doomed Youth.
Ahead of their fourth album being released into the world, The Libertines will be returning to their roots by playing a series of intimate shows across the United Kingdom. Stops on their tour include The Cavern Club in Liverpool, Hairy Dog in Derby, The Wardrobe in Leeds and Glasgow’s Oran Mor.
Watch the video for ‘Night of the Hunter’ directed by Alex Brown below.
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