Devin Townsend to release new studio album "PowerNerd"
POWERNERD – noun
1. A person of any gender who has, through tenacity and perseverance, turned what society may deem as a ‘weakness’ into a superpower.
2. A total fucking badass.
3. You.
Devin Townsend is pleased to announce the release of his forthcoming new studio album “PowerNerd” on the 25th October 2024 (InsideOutMusic). Devin Townsend’s career is one of many distinct eras. He’s been the leader of Strapping Young Lad, the lynchpin of the Devin Townsend Project and the co-architect of country duo Casualties of Cool, all while maintaining his prolific and lauded solo project. Now, the polymath’s newest era starts with “PowerNerd”.
He’s also shared the video for the album’s title track which you can watch now below:
“It was a conscious thing,” Devin says of his brand-new album, the music on which he wrote in just 11 days. “I thought, ‘I’ve spent so much time overthinking every aspect of my work – what would happen if I didn’t?’ Maybe I would have the opportunity to be a bit more direct with what it is that I’m trying to do. I really wanted to see if I could cut through some of the meandering.”
A song that embodies that, is the album’s title track (which features a guest spot from Jamey Jasta). You can stream the track and pre-order the album HERE.
However, that aggression is far from the only thing to come from PowerNerd’s 11 episodic tracks. Dreams of Light, by comparison, is an evocative and dynamic four-minute ballad. Younger Lover calms down from an explosive opening to lush verses of synths and singing, whereas Falling Apart and Jainism add texture after texture on top of dulcet, acoustic introductions.
Where PowerNerd’s music was written in less than a fortnight, its lyrics were refined over a far longer period of time into a narrative about strength and healing. On Falling Apart, Devin commands himself to “keep the tension under control”. “You’ve got to believe that things will only get better,” subsequent song “Gratitude” powerfully declares. These uplifting messages even play into the record’s title.
Devin offers as a definition: “I would say that a powernerd would be somebody that has a tendency that society has deemed weak or not valuable, whether that’s empathy or being an insular person or an introvert, and turns that into a type of personal power. It’s like, ‘OK, yeah, I’m sensitive to this, that and the other thing, but man, I am going to pull through! I am going to do things with that sensitivity that are rooted in strength.’”
“PowerNerd” will be available on several different formats, including a Limited 2CD+Blu-ray Artbook (featuring the album, bonus tracks and Devin’s first ever Dolby Atmos mix), Limited 2CD Digipak in O-card, Standard CD, Gatefold LP & Digital Album. The full tracklisting for the main album is as follows:
1. PowerNerd
2. Falling Apart
3. Knuckledragger
4. Gratitude
5. Dreams of Light
6. Ubelia
7. Jainism
8. Younger Lover
9. Glacier
10. Goodbye
11. Ruby Quaker
The album’s artwork was created by longtime collaborator Travis Smith.
“Powernerd” is out on 25th October via InsideOutMusic and is available to pre-order / pre-save HERE.
Photo (c) Tanya Ghosh
As well as express strength through adversity, “PowerNerd” will open the door to Devin’s immediate future. Its positivity and succinctness will soon be contrasted by follow-up “The Moth” – self-described as ‘orchestral, over-the-top, dark and uncomfortable’ – and the ‘alien weirdness’ of finale “Axolotl”. Both efforts have already been written, and all together the trilogy will express the mind-boggling range of this man’s musical talent.
You can catch Devin live later this year as he embarks on an accoustic tour with Myles Kennedy.
Nov 25: Glasgow SWG3
Nov 27: Manchester Academy
Nov 29: Nottingham Rock City
Nov 30: Birmingham, O2 Academy
Dec 02: Cardiff, Great Hall
Dec 03: London O2 Forum Kentish Town
Tickets - https://hevydevy.com/tourdates/
