The New Pornographers – ‘The Former Site Of’ album review: Stirring indie pop that shows the Canadian collective still shine
After over 25 years dropping records, supergroup collective The New Pornographers still know how to tug those poignant heartstrings on their tenth album, The Former Site Of, out now via Merge Records.
The Skinny: It’s a knack that hasn’t dimmed. Whatever’s guiding semi-frontman AC Newman’s lyrical pen, an effortless wield of bittersweet, melancholy power pop just seems to be pulled out of The New Pornographers’ seemingly bottomless song bag, managing to pluck out ten slices of electro-balladry teeming with hooky infection and stirring indie wanders.
It’s hard to approach The Former Site Of without the preceding turmoil in mind. Disrupting the album sessions, long-time drummer Joe Seiders was arrested for possession of child sexual abuse, forcing a devastated band to sever all personal and professional ties and re-record drum parts with frequent Rolling Stones collaborator Charley Drayton.
Such context sharpens the ruminative air that The Former Site Of dwells in. There’s a sense of holding on through the album, of trooping on in when the weight of the world threatens to stand too great to bear. Such a wry optimism couldn’t hit with pertinenance any more if it tried, The New Pornographers closing the curtain on the political thunder and confusing social tumult howling outside the window for 38-odd minutes while you gather your thoughts.
“I wish you could see me / I’m killing it” is sung on its namesake track. Such lyrical flashes deftly illustrate Newman’s dependable ability to wring a wistful impact from such an innocent line. It’s a spiritual letter, sent off to the ether like so many messages written by a grieving soul to the recently deceased, or ‘Votive’s “I’m just trying to keep the lights on” pangs with familiarity as we’re all muddling through a world spinning out of control.
The Former Site Of lies with unassuming enchantment, like the dew on a spider’s web or the gust of autumnal leaves in the wind. Unshowy, coy, lacking flashing signs, trying to seize the senses, but anchored in a moving earthiness that shines brighter the more you inspect. Underneath its indie rock strolls and gleaming power pop, The New Pornographers show just how much better the music world is for their sticking it out.
Standout track: ‘Votive’
The Verdict: With The New Pornographers’ tenth LP, the Canadian collective dreams up another suite of stirring electronically coated indie shimmer that lends a hand through life’s slings and arrows and points to a bit of hope.
Release Date: March 27th, 2026 | Producer: AC Newman | Label: Merge Records
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