They Might Be Giants have announced the October 29, 2021 release date for their new album and remarkable accompanying art book, both aptly titled: BOOK. In anticipation of the new collection, the alternative rock legends have unleashed the explosive new single “I Can’t Remember the Dream” alongside a brand new video directed and edited by Alex Italics and starring Michael Dean. An undeniably catchy rocker, the robust track is strapped with intricate harmonies and TMBG’s signature dark, clever lyricism. The dance floor rocker is universally meaningful to the current ordeal the world has just endured. It is a reminder to embrace one’s dreams with appreciation for the escapism and inspiration they can offer in order to pull out of the mundane of everyday life.
The band shares, “We have worked on a half dozen video projects with Alex Italics directing, and his sensibility really compliments our music. Creating any video around a song about dreams is going to be a dangerous assignment, but Alex managed to transcend the cliches. It’s an enigmatic idea but presented in a simple way, and even though there are comedic elements in there, it is paced in such a deadpan manner that it doesn’t short-circuit the vibe of the song.”
A 144-page full-color, cloth-bound hardcover book and brand new full-length album, BOOK was born through a series of brainstorms with longtime collaborator and graphic design legend Paul Sahre when they decided to team up with Brooklyn street photographer Brian Karlsson. Sahre’s implementation of IBM’s Selectric typewriter adds a striking effect throughout BOOK’s visual component as well. John Flansburgh shares, “Paul took this crude device and showed what you could really do with it creatively, and combined with Brian’s photography it made up the secret sauce for the book.”
BOOK finds TMBG expanding their own worldview through multiple mediums while continuing to refine their songwriting craft. Though, as John Linnell notes, some of BOOK’s songs are “humorously germane to the catastrophe going on around us”—like the punchy opener “Synopsis for Newcomers,” which concerns itself with “someone who’s warning people not to panic”—these 15 songs are classic TMBG, with clever melodies and airtight songwriting that stays in your head long after the final note’s been played.
In addition to the book of BOOK, there will also be standalone audio releases available on vinyl, CD, and even cassette. BOOK on Tape! A very limited production of 8-track tapes sold out instantly. All formats come with a download of the album. Pre-orders are available now. Every pre-order receives an instant download of previous singles “I Lost Thursday” and “I Broke My Own Rule,” current single “I Can’t Remember the Dream,” and all subsequent tracks as they are shared over the next few months.
Two-time Grammy winners, They Might Be Giants started with a Dial-A-Song service, powered by a lone phone machine out of their Brooklyn apartments. Since then they have made 23 albums, and have secretly infiltrated your TV with original themes and incidental music to numerous shows and commercials. Fans can enjoy They Might Be Giants’ smartphone app (Apple / Android) which adds a new song every day. Stay tuned for more news coming soon!
BOOK tracklist:
1. Synopsis for Latecomers
2. Moonbeam Rays
3. I Broke My Own Rule
4. Brontosaurus
5. Lord Snowden
6. If Day for Winnipeg
7. I Can’t Remember the Dream
8. Drown the Clown
9. Darling, the Dose
10. I Lost Thursday
11. Part of You Wants to Believe Me
12. Super Cool
13. Wait Actually Yeah No
14. Quit the Circus
15. Less Than One
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