It feels like it’s been a very long time coming.

But January 19 2015 will see the release of the ninth Belle and Sebastian studio album Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance on Matador. The first track to do the rounds is ‘The Party Line’ which you can stream at the top of the page. It nods to recent remixes and collaborations. I wasn’t sure about it on the first play and yet by the third I really was hooked. Turn it up. The track can be streamed and downloaded at all the usual sites.

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. Nobody’s Empire
2. Allie
3. The Party Line
4. The Power Of Three
5. The Cat With The Cream
6. Enter Sylvia Plath
7. The Everlasting Muse
8. Perfect Couples
9. Ever Had A Little Faith?
10. Play For Today
11. The Book Of You
12. Today (This Army’s For Peace)

The tour dates in May in England, Wales and and Scotland are as follows:

May 3 St. David’s, Cardiff, Wales
May 4 Colston Hall, Bristol, England
May 5 Guildhall, Portsmouth, England
May 7 Corn Exchange, Cambridge, England
May 8 Open, Norwich, England
May 10 Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England
May 11 Westminster Central Hall, London
May 14 Albert Hall, Manchester, England
May 16 City Hall, Newcastle, England
May 18 Opera House, Buxton, England
May 19 City Hall, Leeds, England
May 22 Hydro Arena, Glasgow (with the Scottish Festival Orchestra)
May 24 Sound City, Liverpool, England