Duran Duran isn’t fading away. The English rockers will be back Sept. 18 with their new studio album Paper Gods, by Warner Bros. Records. They grouped a strong crew of collaborators behind the glass to produce their 14th work, including legendary Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers, noted uptown funker Mark Ronson, and Kanye West disciple Mr. Hudson.
“It really goes back to that strange early Duran mix: the hard-edged pop, coexisting with this dark, weird, experimental side,” bassist John Taylor said in a statement. “That’s something that’s essential to all of us,” keyboardist Nick Rhodes said. “It’s great to be able to lift people’s spirits—and your own—with a strong shot of pure pop, but the world we live in isn’t all just made of that stuff, so it seems natural to me that we have kept one foot in the darker, more Gothic side of life.”
Duran Duran’s list of featured artists is robust, too. Janelle Monáe will be on the first single, “Pressure Off.” Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante will also appear on the album as will Kiesza, violinist Davidé Rossi, and—yes—actress Lindsay Lohan.
The Rodgers-Duran connection is an old one; the hitmaker co-produced the band’s 1986 record Notorious.
To coincide with new music, the quartet is hitting the road, including some dates with Rodgers and Chic. Check the stops below, and prepare to dance into the fire from summer to winter:
June 20: Sonar by Night Festival, Barcelona
June 27: Night At The Park, The Hague, Netherlands
June 28: Killarney Festival, Kerry, Ireland
Aug. 5: FreakOut! Festival, Riverhead, N.Y.
Aug. 6: Musikfest, ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, Bethlehem, Penn.
Sept. 1: Heart at the Ibiza Gran Hotel, Ibiza
Sept. 5: Gibraltar Music Festival @ Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar
Sept. 11: Bestival @ Robin Hill Park, Isle of Wight, U.K.
Sept. 20: Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colo. (with Chic)
Sept. 23: Washington State Fair, Puyallup, Wash. (with Chic)
Sept. 25: Grand Theatre, Grand Sierra Resort & Casino, Reno, Nev.
Sept. 26: Life Is Beautiful Festival, Las Vegas
Sept. 27: Cal Coast Union Open Air Theatre, San Diego
Oct. 1: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles (with Chic)
Oct. 2: The Greek Theatre, Berkeley, Calif. (with Chic)
Oct. 3: The Show, Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Nov. 27: Manchester Arena, Manchester, U.K.
Nov. 28: First Direct Arena, Leeds, U.K.
Nov. 30: Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, U.K.
Dec. 2: Brighton Centre, Brighton, U.K.
Dec. 4: Genting Arena, Birmingham, U.K.
Dec. 5: Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, U.K.
Dec. 6: The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Dec. 8: The O2, London, U.K.
Dec. 9: Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, U.K.
Dec. 11: Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, U.K.
Dec. 12: Echo Arena, Liverpool, U.K.
Courtesy Entertainment Weekly
