The The's new documentary The Inertia Variations is being screened this week at the Edinburgh Film Festival, and in promotion of the screenings, Matt Johnson appeared on BBC Radio 6 program Radcliffe and Maconie for a short interview. Much of the interview focused on Johnson discussing his struggles with depression and grief after the loss of two of his brothers and his mother. Johnson talked about giving up music for awhile because it felt irrelevant when there were deeper issues to tend to and certainly put life into perspective for him.
Johnson reveals that his passion for music is back and says he was heartened by the huge response to his new single "We Can't Stop What's Coming" -- The The's first new single in 15 years -- and is thankful to all the fans who reached out to him and sent letters/emails in support.
In response to being asked if he's working on a new album and if he'd consider touring again, Johnson replied that he has started working on some new songs, however due to his current focus on coordinating the release and screenings of The Inertia Variations he hasn't finished any new material yet. As for touring he was a little hesitant to say he would tour, though he considers it a possibility someday and said "never say never."
Screenings of The Inertia Variations are planned for later this year in England, however he did not mention anything about North America screenings.
Stream the interview here.
The The's single "We Can't Stop What's Coming" was repressed on white vinyl and is available here. The video for the single is posted below.
Published June 28th, 2017