Devin Townsend releases his new album Lightwork on 28 October 2022. His follow-up to 2019s well-received Empath, Lightwork, has been assembled from a barrage of material written during the pandemic.
Lightwork, and its companion album of B-sides and demos, Nightwork, represents Devin at this stage of his life, post pandemic, and his reflections on what he and many of us, have all gone through.
“Welcome to my newest album Lightwork,” Townsend says. “The last few years have been a lot, and this is the music that I wrote during that time. In essence, Lightwork is a bit more of a song-oriented album. A bit more direct and simpler than a lot of what I’ve been doing lately. After Empath and The Puzzle, things kind of swung back in the direction of more traditional arrangements for Lightwork.”
For Lightwork, Devin has included a producer, an experiment he has been excited to attempt for some time, to help guide this selection of material, chosing long-time friend GGGarth (Richardson).
“The name Lightwork represents the music, as well as the act of creating music, as a kind of ‘light in the dark’ while trying to navigate the seemingly endless challenges that life can often present,” Devin says.
“When things seem like there’s no way out or that a situation becomes seemingly insurmountable, the connection to music, family, and creativity became a light in the dark that ended up in this wonderful album. Lyrically, it kind of hints at the struggles of the last few years but with an eye on putting the pieces back together again.”
Moonpeople, the albums opening track, is the first song released and includes a video filmed by Devin while he was in Spain earlier this year.
“We chose Moonpeople as the first of three video releases from this project,” Devin says. “The three videos share a theme, so I think that’ll work. Moonpeople is the first song on Lightwork and acts as a sort of mission statement for the album.
“Post pandemic… kids are now teens… 50 years old, who am I now? Beyond any platitudes or delusions, who am I now that the smoke is clearing and what do I want to do, and who do I want to be, moving forward?
“The term Moonpeople in my mind refers to those in society that kind of ‘watch’ things rather than being directly involved in it. Maybe the Moonpeople are more introverted rather than extroverted? In any case, it functions as a song on the album that will set the stage for the dynamic nature of the material that follows it. So here you go. Song one.”
To pre-order Lightwork, visit https://devin-townsend.lnk.to/Lightwork
Devin Townsend will embark on a European headline tour in early 2023. Devin played a greatest set masterclass at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2022.
Devin Townsend Mainland Europe dates
February 2023
21 Tues NO – Oslo, Sentrum Scene
23 Thu FI – Helsinki, House of Culture
24 Fri FI – Tampere, Pakkahuone
25 Sat FI – Oulu, Tullisali
27 Mon SE – Stockholm, Cirkus
28 Tues SE – Gothenburg, Pustervik
March 2023
1 Wed DK – Copenhagen, Amager Bio
3 Fri NL – Tilburg, 013
4 Sat DE – Cologne, Carlswerk Victoria
5 Sun FR – Lille, Le Splendid
7 Tues DE – Leipzig, WERK 2
8 Wed DE – Frankfurt, Batschkapp
10 Fri CH – Zurich, X-tra
11 Sat DE – Munich, Backstage Werk
13 Mon AT – Dornbirn, Conrad Sohm
14 Tues IT – Milan, Live Club
16 Thu ES – Barcelona, Razzmatazz
17 Fri ES – Madrid, La Riviera
18 Sat PT – Lisbon, Cineteatro Capitólio
20 Mon FR – Toulouse, Le Bikini
21 Tues FR – Marseille, Le Moulin
22 Wed FR – Clermont Ferrand, La Coopérative De Mai
24 Fri BE – Brussels, Ancienne Belgique
25 Sat DE – Stuttgart, LKA-Longhorn
26 Sun FR – Paris, L’Olympia
