THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS’ HIGHLY ANTICIPATED THE FORMER SITE OF OUT TODAY ON MERGE RECORDS

STREAM/SHARE TITLE TRACK HERE

BAND SETS NEW FALL TOUR DATES, FULL TOUR ON SALE NOW

“This is the best record they’ve done in quite a while […] sweeping and magical.”—NPR Music

9 Songs We’re Talking About This Week: “Votive”—The New York Times

Pitchfork: 12 New Albums You Should Listen to Now—Pitchfork

March 27, 2026—The New Pornographers highly anticipated new album The Former Site Of is out today on Merge Records; listen/share HERE and watch/share the visualizer for the title track HERE. The album is available to order now via both Merge Records and band’s webstore, order HERE. The record is also available in an exclusive “Mai Tai” LP variant HERE and “Spilled Ink” LP variant HERE.

In celebration of the album, the band is adding a slew of new dates to their extensive U.S. tour this fall; newly confirmed dates include stops at Kansas City’s The Truman, Nashville’s Cannery Hall, San Diego’s Belly Up and more. The band kicks off their U.S. tour on April 22 at The Wilbur in Boston, with support on all Spring dates from Will Sheff of Okkervil River. Tickets are available now at thenewpornographers.com, see below for a complete list of dates.

On The Former Site Of, the tenth studio album from the acclaimed supergroup, ten short stories of people at personal and societal extremes are collected as meticulously crafted pop songs. The record was first crafted by frontperson A.C. Newman in his home studio before being brought to the band, composed of Newman, Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, John Collins and Todd Fancey. The group is joined for the first time by storied session drummer Charley Drayton (Divinyls, The Rolling Stones, Fiona Apple). Josh Wells (Destroyer, Black Mountain) will join as the touring drummer for the band’s upcoming dates in the spring.

Of the inspiration behind the album title, Newman notes, “The Former Site Of is a reference to various road signs that I’ve seen in upstate New York. There is a sign near the Ashokan Reservoir that reads “the former site of West Hurley”. That intrigued me. What happened to the town of West Hurley? Around 100 years ago, a number of small NY state towns were forced to leave, sell their land, so that their towns could be flooded and become reservoirs, a source of water for New York City. I was fascinated by the history, the towns that were almost wiped from history. It felt like a good starting place for an album. We all have parts of our lives that are gone.”

The album features singles “Spooky Action,” “Pure Sticker Shock” and “Votive,” subject of acclaim from The New York Times, Pitchfork, AV Club, Stereogum and more. The album’s first single “Ballad Of The Last Payphone” is available as a limited 7-inch vinyl first release; Paste named it one of their Best New Songs, raving that “‘Ballad Of The Last Payphone’ hits a different kind of nerve. Less giddy power-pop, more slow-burn meditation, the track leans into melancholy with acoustic strums, ghostly pedal steel, and vocals that swirl like a memory you can’t quite shake.”

The New Pornographers have released nine studio albums, including their classic debut, Mass Romantic, reissued in 2021 to celebrate its 21st anniversary. Their latest, 2023’s Continue as a Guest, marked their debut for Merge Records; New York Magazine lauded, “The New Pornographers are a massive unit bursting with unique and intersecting talents…the band’s ninth album serves another helping of their signature dish,” while Brooklyn Vegan named it “one of The New Pornographers’ most lush albums, thick with synthesizers and horns and harmonies…their unique chemistry is as distinct and appealing as ever.”

For more information, please contact Krista Williams, Joe Cohen or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.

TRACK LIST
THE FORMER SITE OF
1. Great Princess Story
2. Pure Sticker Shock
3. Ballad Of The Last Payphone
4. Spooky Action
5. Wish You Could See Me I'm Killing It
6. Votive
7. The Wine Remembers The Water
8. Calligraphy
9. Bonus Mai Tais
10. The Former Site Of

TOUR DATES
April 22 /// Boston, MA /// The Wilbur*
April 23 /// New York, NY /// Webster Hall*
April 24 /// Glenside, PA /// Keswick Theatre*
April 25 /// Rochester, NY /// Water Street Music Hall*
April 27 /// Detroit, MI /// El Club*
April 29 /// Millvale, PA /// Mr. Smalls Theatre*
April 30 /// Cleveland, OH /// House of Blues*
May 1 /// Milwaukee, WI /// Turner Hall*
May 2 /// Minneapolis, MN /// The Fitzgerald Theater*
May 3 /// Chicago, IL /// The Metro* [SOLD OUT]
May 5 /// Englewood, CO /// Gothic Theatre*
May 6 /// Salt Lake City, UT /// The Commonwealth Room*
May 8 /// Seattle, WA /// The Showbox*
May 9 /// Portland, OR /// Aladdin Theater*
May 11 /// San Francisco, CA /// The Castro Theatre*
May 12 /// Los Angeles, CA /// Teragram Ballroom*
May 13 /// Phoenix, AZ /// Crescent Ballroom*
May 15 /// Austin, TX /// Mohawk Outside*
May 16 /// Dallas, TX /// The Kessler Theater*
May 17 /// Baton Rouge, LA /// Chelsea's Live*
May 19 /// Atlanta, GA /// Variety Playhouse*
May 20 /// Saxapahaw, NC /// Haw River Ballroom*
May 21 /// Washington, DC /// 9:30 Club*
September 12 /// Tucson, AZ /// La Rosa
September 13 /// San Diego, CA /// Belly Up
September 14 /// Santa Ana, CA /// Observatory Santa Ana
September 15 /// Monterey, CA /// Golden State Theatre
September 21 /// Omaha, NE /// The Waiting Room
September 22 /// Kansas City, MO /// The Truman
September 23 /// St. Louis, MO /// The Sheldon Concert Hall
September 25 /// Birmingham, AL /// The Saturn
September 26 /// Nashville, TN /// Cannery Hall
September 27 /// Louisville, KY /// Headliners Music Hall
September 29 /// Charlottesville, VA /// The Paramount
September 30 /// Towson, MD /// The Recher
October 1 /// Tarrytown, NY /// Tarrytown Music Hall
October 2 /// Albany, NY /// Empire Live
October 3 /// Portland, ME /// State Theatre

*with Will Sheff (of Okkervil River)