José González

Shares New Song, ‘Head On,’ And Video

JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ –“HEAD ON”

PRE-ORDER NEW ALBUM – LOCAL VALLEY, OUT SEPTEMBER 17

BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 20 – US CO-HEADLINE TOUR WITH RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

Visionary singer-songwriter-guitarist José González has announced today’s premiere of a brand new song. “Head On” is available now at all DSPs and streaming services. The track is joined by an official music video, directed by longtime visual collaborator Mikel Cee Karlsson (Fever Ray, Junip), and streaming now at YouTube. Listen & watch here.

“I wrote ‘Head On’ as a combat song or a list of instructions…a manual. I mean both ‘straight ahead’ and head ON – as in switching on your mind,” says González. “It was inspired by Fela Kuti’s ‘Zombie’ and the way I used to write lyrics for my hardcore band. It’s also in the vein of my song ‘What Will’ from 2015. That one and this one are both anti-dogma, pro reason songs. Some of the terms I use like ‘rent seeker’ or ‘value extractor,’ are from books on economics that I’ve been reading, like The Value of Everything by Mariana Mazzucato.”

“Head On” marks the latest single from González’s eagerly awaited fourth solo album. LOCAL VALLEY will arrive via Mute on CD, standard black vinyl, limited edition colored vinyl, and at all digital platforms on September 17. Pre-orders are available now. An assortment of exclusive bundles featuring such limited edition extras as signed art prints, an original portrait painting, and LOCAL VALLEY tote bag are available for pre-order at the official Jose González webstore. Pre-order here.

“The animations for ‘Head On’ are based on a cellular automaton called ‘Game of Life’ created by mathematician John Horton Conway,” adds Karlsson. “’Game of Life’ has emergent properties, meaning that complex forms can arise, or evolve, through simple individual parts. Without any designer, plan or intent. In the video, we used visuals from ‘Game of Life’ as an analogy for the flow of information; bits of information forming patterns. Adapting. Evolving. Mutating. Like memes, or mind viruses; positive, neutral or negative. Travelling from mind to mind in a never-ending war of ideas that we all participate in and are influenced by.”

González will celebrate LOCAL VALLEY with a U.S. co-headline tour alongside 2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. The “Unfollow The Rules In The Local Valley Tour” begins September 20. Tickets for all announced dates are on sale now. Limited VIP tickets and an exclusive merch bundle are also available. González has also confirmed an upcoming series of European live dates, including headline shows and a number of top-billed festival performances. For complete details and ticket information, please visit jose-gonzalez.com/tour-dates.

In addition, González recently announced two ticketed interactive online performances. The first, entitled “Up Close & Personal,” will be an intimate and personal evening of live music and conversation, presented live from Gothenburg, Sweden’s Botanical Garden on Thursday, June 10. The second online performance – set to stream live from Gothenburg on Sunday, September 12 – will feature the first full production of the upcoming LOCAL VALLEY world tour along with pre- and post-show interaction with González. Both events will showcase innovative new features allowing viewers to seamlessly switch camera angles, show appreciation by digital applause, enter chat rooms, and more. Limited tickets are available now through June 10 exclusively via GIGSET here.

MORE ABOUT LOCAL VALLEY

González’s first new studio recording in more than five years, LOCAL VALLEY includes the recently premiered songs, “Visions” and “El Invento,” both available now at all DSPs and streaming services. Praised by Stereogum as “a soft, thrumming acoustic track about finding peace in uncertainty,” “Visions” was recently joined by an official music video, directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson and streaming now via YouTube. In addition, González recently performed “Visions” as part of National Geographic’s star-studded Earth Day Eve 2021 celebration, streaming here.

“El Invento” was also joined by an official music video directed by Karlsson and streaming now at YouTube. González’s only publicly released song to feature lyrics in Spanish, for which he credits his young daughter with helping him during the writing process, the track was met by worldwide acclaim upon its arrival earlier this year, with Paste writing, “The song asks questions of creation and purpose against a gentle Spanish guitar as the video offers a sweet glimpse into simple, domestic life,” adding, “The music video for ‘El Invento’ features the song’s lyrics in both Spanish and English, making it easy to enjoy the profound lyrical work of González in either language.”

MORE ABOUT JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “someone whose subtle, carefully crafted music delivers rewards to listeners who know how to wait,” José González’s stellar career can only be described as a dream. His classic interpretation of The Knife’s “Heartbeats” provided the son of Argentinean parents with a jumpstart that has since tallied more than 1B streams, over 150 licensed TV, film, and videogame uses, and a major presence on radio stations around the globe. He has won a range of honors, performed on high-profile network television shows, headlined prestigious festivals, sold out concert venues on virtually all continents, and collaborated with Ben Stiller on an inventive film soundtrack. González’s warm, intimate voice and tender harmonies, underlined by a dexterously plucked Spanish guitar and muted percussion, deliver profoundly thoughtful lyrics largely revolving around ideas of civilization, humanism, and solidarity. A sincere, artful performer whose singular approach to songwriting and sonics sets him worlds apart, José González is in a class by himself.

Local Valley Tracklist

1. El Invento

2. Visions

3. The Void

4. Horizons

5. Head On

6. Valle Local

7. Lasso ln

8. Lilla G

9. Swing

10. Tjomme

11. Line of Fire

12. En Stund Pa Jorden

13. Honey Honey

José González 2021 Tour

July 30 – Madrid, Spain – Noches del Botanico

August 7 – Shambrook, UK – DJ Koze presents @ Tofte Manor

August 27 – Neustrelitz, Germany – Immergut Festival

September 5 – Cabane des Becs de Bosson, Switzerland – PALP Festival

September 20 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater*

September 21 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place*

September 23 – Minneapolis, MN – Northrop At UMN*

September 24 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre*

September 25 – Carmel, IN – The Palladium at The Center For The Performing Arts*

September 26 – Detroit, MI –Cathedral Theatre at The Masonic Temple*

September 28 – Washington, DC – The Anthem*

September 29 – Boston, MA – The Orpheum Theatre*

September 30 – New York, NY – The Rooftop at Pier 17*

October 1 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre*

November 4 – Antwerp, Belgium – Da Roma

November 5 – Paris, France – Trianon

November 6 – Köln, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria

November 7 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso

November 8 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje

November 9 – Berlin, Germany – Astra

December 1 – Brighton, UK – Brighton Dome

December 2 – London, UK – Cadogan Hall

December 3 – Gateshead, UK – Sage Gateshead

December 4 – Liverpool, UK – Grand Central Hall

December 5 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy

December 6 – Manchester, UK – Albert Hall

* with Rufus Wainwright

Watch the “Head On” video

Watch the “El Invento” video

Watch the “Visions” video

JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ: WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC

MUTE: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | TUMBLR | SOUNDCLOUD

June 9, 2021