“Dark and Velvet Nights,” the third teaser track from the renowned Pink Floyd guitarist’s next studio album Luck and Strange, marks David Gilmour’s comeback today.
The icon steers toward a heavier sound than folk-rooted predecessors “The Piper’s Call” and “Between Two Points” in this most recent release from his eagerly anticipated first full-length offering since 2015’s Rattle That Lock.
He delivers a dynamic and moving vocal and guitar performance reflective of six decades of expertise.
One day, the song just came to her. In a statement that goes with the song, Gilmour says, “It was so exciting to have found this groove.” I took out a wonderful poem that Polly had given me for our wedding anniversary and sung it on the track to see how it sounded with words.
It was sitting on the desk next to me. Polly responded, “Wonderful, great, I’ll need to fiddle with it a bit,” after I showed her. She then included a few more verses, and voilà—quite coincidentally.”
This creative explosion has produced a somber, gritty meditation on trust, love, and their opposites.
With his melancholic voice and savage guitar playing, Gilmour dominates and broods over a stark, danceable beat that is constantly surrounded by an expansive, abstract, and dark environment.
This action subverts and amplifies expectations, as the artist has done for generations, and stands in stark contrast to initial perceptions of the piece.
Sony Music will release Luck and Strange on September 6. In a cover story for Prog, he referred to the project as the “best album I’ve made” since Dark Side of the Moon.
It is currently available for pre-order on vinyl and CD formats.
Gilmour is planning his first tour since 2016 to coincide with the album’s release; you can learn more about this eagerly awaited and in-demand journey here. Please visit davidgilmour.com for tickets and other information.
