The theatrical Australian electro-pop duo Empire of the Sun are returning in 2013 with a new LP: Ice on the Dune. Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore will release their follow-up to 2008's Walking on a Dream this June via Astralwerks. Check out the album's epic trailer below.
Though they haven't shared tour dates yet, the band will hit the road starting in May. One confirmed show: They'll headline this year's Wilderness Festival. Update: Check out their tour dates below. They've also announced that during SXSW, attendees will be able to preview the album at a March 15 event-- RSVP here.
And now, check out this "introductory chapter" from the press release:
'Once, the world was pure. It was the Emperor and the Prophet who kept it thus. Each day, they charted the sun’s course across the sky, guided rivers down from mountain peaks, brought rains to quench raging fires.
With the aid of their four priests, who possessed spirits of wild animals, they travelled the world tirelessly, maintaining nature’s delicate balance, allowing all things to grow and flourish -- always with the aid of the sacred jewel held atop the Emperor’s crown...
But one night, as the Emperor slumbered, recovering from his labours, true darkness appeared. The King of Shadows, ever the bitter foe of the Empire, and all it had achieved, crept into their temple. Craving the Emperor’s power, he stole the jewel from his crown-- and in an instant the world was changed.
Robbed of the bulk of his power, the Emperor and the Prophet watched helplessly as their temple was torn asunder, and their priests cast far out into the world.
But even in that moment, when all appeared lost, there was one thing that the King of Shadows black heart simply could not have imagined... The Emperor and the Prophet have never abandoned hope.'
Empire of the Sun:
05-24 Joliet, IL - Electric Daisy Carnival
05-25 George, WA - Sasquatch! Music Festival
06-27-30 Rothbury, MI - Electric Forest
06-28-29 Kansas City, KS - Kanrocksas
08-08-11 Oxfordshire, England - Wilderness Festival