Japandroids are a Canadian rock band from

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, consisting of Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals).Lindsay, Ca
"No Fun City Rockers"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', May 2009 accessed November 10, 2010. Formed in 2006, the band rose to prominence following the release of their debut album ''

Post-Nothing ''Post-Nothing'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids. The album was originally released in Canada on April 28, 2009 by Unfamiliar Records. Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork awarded 'Best New Music' to both the album and lead s ...

'' (2009). Their second album, ''

Celebration Rock ''Celebration Rock'' is the second studio album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids, released on June 5, 2012, by Polyvinyl. Recorded in Vancouver with ''Post-Nothing'' engineer Jesse Gander, the band aspired to capture the spirit and energy of their ...

'' (2012), was released to widespread critical acclaim,Metacriti
"Japandroids - Celebration Rock"

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, accessed January 22, 2014. with

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

calling it one of ''The 10 Coolest Summer Albums of All Time'', and

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

naming the duo ''Band of the Year''.Sheffield, Ro
"The 10 Coolest Summer Albums of All Time"
''

'', July 18, 2012 accessed January 22, 2014.Harvilla, Ro
"Band of the Year: Japandroids"
''

'', December 3, 2012 accessed January 22, 2014. Japandroids toured heavily in support of both albums, gaining notoriety for their live performancesCaramanica, Jo
"Kinetic, Exuberant and Loud on the Topic of Romance"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', July 12, 2009 accessed November 10, 2010. and extensive international concert tours.Marotta, Michae
"Japandroids finally wrap up their 230-show ‘Celebration Rock’ tour — which began in March 2012"
''Vanyaland'', November 17, 2013 accessed January 22, 2014. Between 2009 and 2013, the band performed approximately 500 shows in 44 countries."Bandsintown – Tour History 2009–2013 (Japandroids)"
/ref> Japandroids' music has been described as "one part classic rock, one part punk",Hermes, Wil
"Japandroids: One Part Classic Rock, One Part Punk"
'' NPR'', June 6, 2012 accessed January 22, 2014. due to their blending of classic rock influences such as

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

and

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

, with punk rock influences such as the Replacements and Hüsker Dü.Cohen, Ia
"Reviews - Japandroids, Celebration Rock"
''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

'', May 29, 2012 accessed June 7, 2012.

History

Early years (2006–2008)

Japandroids was formed in 2006 by Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums, vocals). The two met in 2000 while attending the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

in Victoria,

, and upon discovering a mutual interest in music, began attending live shows together regularly in Victoria and Vancouver. In 2003, Prowse moved to Vancouver, transferring to Simon Fraser University. Eager to form their own band, King agreed to relocate to Vancouver following his graduation, doing so in 2005. Heavily influenced by the raw and energetic recordings of The Sonics, King and Prowse began writing and recording music in 2006, hoping to emulate the same style. While they originally intended to find a third member to act as lead vocalist, they later decided to forego having a specific lead singer and simply share vocal duties.Usinger, Mik
"Vancouver's Own Japandroids Make Good"
'' The Georgia Straight'', May 14, 2009 accessed November 10, 2010. The name Japandroids came from two other band name ideas: Japanese Scream (from Prowse) and Pleasure Droids (from King). Occasionally they would spell it without vowels, as JPNDRDS. Frustrated by the lack of support for live music in Vancouver, as well as the difficulty of 'breaking into' the local music scene, King and Prowse regularly set up their own shows. Inspired by the do-it-yourself methods of bands like

Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...

, they would often arrange for a venue or space to play, rent equipment, design and distribute flyers and posters, as well as arrange for their friends to help run the shows. Japandroids performed their first live show on December 30, 2006. Over the next two years, they would perform regularly in Vancouver, but managed only short, sporadic tours due to conflicts with King's geology studies. During this period, Japandroids self-released two EPs, 2007's ''All Lies'', and 2008's ''Lullaby Death Jams''. Each EP was limited to 500 copies, and would later be re-released as a compilation titled ''

No Singles ''No Singles'' is a compilation album by Canadian rock duo Japandroids. Release ''No Singles'' is a compilation album consisting of Japandroids' first two EPs: ''Lullaby Death Jams'' (2008) and ''All Lies'' (2007). Released by Polyvinyl on May ...

''. Japandroids recorded their first full-length album, ''

'' in the summer of 2008, with the intention of self-releasing it in 2009. However, by the fall of 2008, King and Prowse had become convinced that the band was going nowhere, and mutually decided to call it quits at the end of the year. It was agreed that their appearances at Pop Montreal in Montreal and

CMJ Music Marathon CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

in New York City would be their final live performances. It was also agreed that they would self-release the album early in 2009, but would not promote it. By December 2008, King was already attempting to assemble a new band.

''Post-Nothing'' (2009–2010)

In January 2009, Japandroids signed to independent Canadian label Unfamiliar Records, who were eager to release the album, despite the band's reservations about continuing. Frustrated by label interest only after they had decided to break-up, King and Prowse reluctantly agreed to continue Japandroids temporarily, and began performing live again. In March 2009, taste-making website Pitchfork awarded the song "Young Hearts Spark Fire" a 'Best New Track' designation, instantly exposing the band to a large audience outside of Canada. Their debut album, ''

'' was released in Canada in April 2009, originally on vinyl only. Pitchfork championed the album, awarding it a 'Best New Music' designation, and praising its rawness, energy and reckless abandon. Japandroids were subsequently signed to

Polyvinyl Record Co. Polyvinyl Record Co. is an American independent record label headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The label also has satellite offices in New York, Austin, and the Bay Area. Polyvinyl has put out over 400 releases to date. The Polyvinyl roster ...

in June 2009. ''

'' was released worldwide in August 2009 to widespread critical acclaim, especially in Canada where ''

'' named it the second best album of 2009. It was long-listed for the

Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize; the prize was incr ...

as well as nominated for the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for

Alternative Album of the Year Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

. The album was also well-received internationally, appearing on many year-end lists including Pitchfork (#15),

(#16),

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

(#39),

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

(#25), Pop Matters (#35),

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

(#21), and reached No. 22 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Japandroids toured extensively to promote the album, earning praise for their energetic live performances. The ''Post-Nothing Tour'' consisted of 9 individual legs, and included over 200 shows in more than 20 countries. While primarily headlining their own shows, Japandroids also toured supporting acts such as A Place To Bury Strangers and

Health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

in Europe, and The Walkmen in North America. The ''Post-Nothing Tour'' was originally scheduled to begin on April 23, 2009, in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. After performing one show, Japandroids were forced to postpone and reschedule the remainder of their first full-scale North American tour due to a health emergency. On the morning of April 24, 2009, King was checked into Calgary's Foothills Medical Center to undergo emergency surgery for a life-threatening perforated ulcer. Touring resumed June 13, 2009 after King's recovery with a performance at Vancouver's Music Waste festival, and continued uninterrupted through to the final show October 27, 2010 at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey. Among the dates of the tour were numerous festival appearances in North America and Europe, including Pitchfork Music Festival,

Sasquatch! Sasquatch! Music Festival was an annual music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, United States. It took place on Memorial Day weekend, running for three to four days. In 2018, it was announced that the festival was c ...

, Bonnaroo,

Osheaga Festival The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival (french: Festival musique et arts Osheaga) is a multi-day indie music festival in Montreal, Quebec, that is held every summer at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène. The festival takes place on six stages ...

Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...

, and Primavera Sound. Initially, the duo desired to include several more tracks on the album, but were unable due to insufficient funds.Tedder, Michae
"Q&A: Japandroids' Brian King"
, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'', October 26, 2010 accessed November 10, 2010. Many of the un-included tracks that the duo had written for the album were later recorded and released in 2010 as series of limited edition 7" singles. These tracks include " Art Czars", " Younger Us", and " Heavenward Grand Prix". The same year, Japandroids re-released their first two EPs as a compilation titled ''

''. The band has stated that both the 7" singles series, as well as the ''No Singles'' compilation, were designed to appease fans desire for more music, as they would not be able to record a second album until 2011 due to an extensive touring schedule.

''Celebration Rock'' (2011–2013)

After taking the bulk of 2011 off to work on new material, Japandroids revealed that they would tour North America throughout August and September playing primarily smaller, intimate venues in order to test out their new material prior to the recording of their second album. During these shows, the band debuted several new songs including "Fire's Highway", "Adrenaline Nightshift", and "Evil's Sway". Following the tour, the band temporarily relocated from

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

to continue writing.Talbott, Chri
"Canadian noise rockers Japandroids lived and worked among us"
''

Nashville Scene ''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...

'', 15 November 2013. Retrieved on 22 January 2014. The duo cited disillusion with Vancouver, as well as the difficulty of returning to a sedentary lifestyle following two years of continuous touring, as the primary motivations for the move. On March 26, 2012, Japandroids announced that their second album ''

'' would be released by Polyvinyl on June 5, 2012, preceded by a limited edition 7" of the album's first single " The House That Heaven Built" on May 15, 2012. A video for "The House That Heaven Built", Japandroids' first music video, was released that summer to promote the single. The black-and-white video, directed by Jim Larson and produced by Pitchfork.tv, documented one week in the life of Japandroids on tour using footage from the east coast portion of their spring 2012 US tour, including live footage from shows in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

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Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

'' garnered widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the album's blending of classic rock and punk rock influences, as well as King's newfound lyrical ambition. As Ian Cohen of Pitchfork noted, "Japandroids have gone from having almost none at all yricsto packing their songs with an astonishing command of legend and literalism that all but dares you to feel ''something''." The album was especially well received in their native Canada, with

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

naming it the best Canadian album of 2012, while CBC declared it the best rock album of the year.Shuymka, Dav
“Top 5 Rock Albums of 2012”
''

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

'', 17 December 2012. Retrieved on 22 January 2014. The same year, ''Celebration Rock'' was short-listed for the

as well as nominated for the

for

. The album was also well received internationally earning a ''Best New Music'' designation from Pitchfork, a 9 out of 10 from

, and a 4 out of 5 from

. The album also appeared on many year-end lists including

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

(#1),

(#2),

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

(#2),

(#3),

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the creat ...

(#4), Pitchfork (#5),

(#8), and reached No. 37 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Japandroids toured heavily in support of ''Celebration Rock'', performing over 200 shows in more than 40 countries between March 2012 and November 2013. The ''Celebration Rock Tour'' consisted of 13 individual legs across

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

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Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, and

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

, including numerous festival appearances: Coachella, Bonnaroo,

, Pitchfork,

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

, Governors Ball, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Free Press Summer Fest, and

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

's festival Orion in the United States, Primavera Sound,

Optimus Alive! NOS Alive (formerly Optimus Alive! and Optimus Alive) is an annual music and arts festival held in the Algés riverside, close to Lisbon, in Portugal. It is organized since 2007 by the Portuguese live entertainment company Everything is New. It ...

Paredes de Coura Paredes de Coura () is a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,198, in an area of 138.19 km2. The municipality is located in the district of Viana do Castelo. The present Mayor is Prof. Vitor Paulo Pereira, elected by the Soc ...

, Pitchfork (Paris),

OFF Off or OFF may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''Off'' (video game), a video game by Mortis Ghost. *Sven Väth, German DJ and singer who uses the pseudonym OFF * ''Off'' (album), by Ciwan Haco, 2006 * ''Off!'' (album), by Off! *Off!, an America ...

Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

and

Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

festivals in Europe, Vive Latino in Mexico,

Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan. ...

in Japan, and Laneway Festival in Australia. On November 17, 2013, the band posted a thank you and farewell message to fans online. Following this message, Japandroids’ online presence was inactive for nearly three years. The band did not perform or give any public appearances in this time, leading fans to speculate on the band's status.

''Near to the Wild Heart of Life'' (2014–2018)

Following the end of the ''Celebration Rock Tour'', the duo decided to take an extended break from the band. In an interview with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', King cited exhaustion as the primary motivation: “When we got home, we were just totally destroyed, really burnt out both physically and mentally; at that point, we hadn't taken a serious break from the band in five years. So we took about six months off – the first half of 2014 – and decided to dedicate that time to ourselves and our personal lives.”Stolworthy, Jacob
"Japandroids interview: 'This new record is our first attempt at making a proper studio album'"
''

'', 31 January 2017. Retrieved on 5 March 2020. During this period, King began splitting his time between

and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, while Prowse remained in their hometown of Vancouver.Berman, Stuart
"Synths! Ballads! Acoustic Guitars! Welcome to Japandroids 2.0"
''

'', 3 February 2017. Retrieved on 5 March 2020. In late 2014, the band reconvened in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

to begin writing new material: "We rented a house and spent about five weeks there, with all the gear in the living room, just playing every day. We hadn't written anything in a long time, so it took a minute just to get the ball rolling again."Tedder, Michael
"Q&A: Japandroids Remain On Brand With Near To The Wild Heart Of Life"
''

'', 2 November 2017. Retrieved on 5 March 2020. The duo would spend the next year writing together via similar sessions, alternating between cities. The album was recorded in the fall of 2015 with longtime engineer Jesse Gander, but wasn't mixed until the following spring. The band attributed wanting to work with Peter Katis as one of the primary reasons for the album's delayed release: "We really wanted Peter Katis, who’s well known for working with bands like The National and

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

, to mix our record, but we had to wait around a little while in order to work with him." On August 10, 2016, Japandroids announced their first shows in nearly three years: a 4-night stand (October 5–8) at The Cobalt in

, followed by shows in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and

. On August 18, 2016, additional shows were announced in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Both tour posters featured images seemingly taken from within a studio, suggesting that new material was forthcoming. On October 31, 2016, Japandroids announced their third album '' Near to the Wild Heart of Life'' via a teaser video featuring live footage from their comeback shows in Vancouver. On November 2, 2016, it was confirmed that the album would be released by

Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. While Epitaph's focus has mostly been on punk rock, Anti-'s roster includes gospel (Mavis Staples), country (Merle Haggard), hip hop (Sage Francis, The Cou ...

on January 27, 2017, and preceded by a limited edition 7" of the album's title track. When asked about the motivation behind switching labels, King stated: “It just felt like a very natural thing to do, and at a very natural time. ''Celebration Rock'' and the ''Celebration Rock Tour'' felt like a triumphant ending to the first era of the band, an era that I will forever associate with Polyvinyl. But starting in 2014, I think both Dave and I felt that we were no longer ‘continuing’ something but starting something new, and wanted a new label to represent whatever that was." According to Prowse,

came to their attention following a chance encounter with one of their staff members at a bar in New Orleans. On January 10, 2017, "No Known Drink or Drug" was released digitally to promote the album ahead of its release. On January 19, 2017, ''Near to the Wild Heart of Life'' was streamed in its entirety on

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

in the United States and on

in Canada.Thompson, Stephen
"First Listen: Japandroids, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life"
''

'', 19 January 2017. Retrieved on 5 March 2020. On January 31, 2017, the band performed "Near to the Wild Heart of Life" on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

'' and on May 9, 2017, performed "Near to the Wild Heart of Life", "True Love and a Free Life of Free Will", and "Midnight To Morning" on '' Later... with Jools Holland''. On May 16, 2017, a limited edition 7" of the album's second single "North East South West" was released. On October 11, 2017, the band performed "No Known Drink Or Drug" on ''

Late Night with Seth Meyers ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' is an American late-night news and political satire talk show hosted by Seth Meyers on NBC. The show premiered on February 24, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. Airing weeknights a ...

''. On October 24, 2017, Japandroids’ show at Massey Hall in Toronto was filmed and recorded for the concert film series ''Live At Massey Hall''. The film was released on June 14, 2018. Japandroids toured heavily in support of ''Near to the Wild Heart of Life'', performing over 150 shows in 23 countries between October 2016 and October 2018."Bandsintown – Tour History 2016-2017 (Japandroids)"
/ref> The ''Near to the Wild Heart of Life Tour'' consisted of 12 individual legs across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, and

, including numerous festival appearances:

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

Shaky Knees Music Festival Shaky Knees Music Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Atlanta, Georgia. The festival was founded in 2013 by Tim Sweetwood in order to bring a proper indie music festival to the city of Atlanta, which already hosts festivals su ...

, Governors Ball, Pitchfork Music Festival, and

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

’ Cal Jam in the United States,

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...

, End of the Road, Electric Picnic, Primavera Sound,

, NOS Alive in Europe, Corona Capital in Mexico, and Meredith Music Festival in Australia. The final date of the ''Near to the Wild Heart of Life Tour'' took place on October 17, 2018, at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in

. A celebration of Legalization Day in Canada, Japandroids' set included five new songs, written on the setlist as “International”, “D+T”, “Baby’s”, “Infinity”, and “Alice”.

''Massey Fucking Hall'' (2019–present)

On May 27, 2020, Japandroids announced their first live album ''Massey Fucking Hall''. The album was recorded on October 24, 2017, at Massey Hall in

, and would be released by

on June 26, 2020 (digital) and October 2, 2020 (vinyl). The announcement came during the height of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, when virtually all live concerts and music festivals across North America were either canceled or postponed.Schatz, Lake
"Japandroids Announce First-ever Live Album Massey Fucking Hall"
'' Consequence of Sound'', 27 May 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020. On the timing of the release, Prowse stated:

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Near to the Wild Heart of Life'' (2017) Live albums * '' Massey Fucking Hall'' (2020) Compilation albums * ''

'' (2010)

References

External links

Japandroids.com

Japandroids
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Japandroids Musical groups established in 2006 Canadian indie rock groups Musical groups from Vancouver Rock music duos Canadian noise rock groups Polyvinyl Record Co. artists Canadian musical duos 2006 establishments in British Columbia Anti- (record label) artists