Cold War Kids Unveil NEW AGE NORMS 2

Cold War Kids have announced the eagerly awaited release of NEW AGE NORMS 2, the second installment of a three-album trilogy begun with last year's acclaimed NEW AGE NORMS 1. Produced and mixed by GRAMMY® Award-winner Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Kacey Musgraves, The War On Drugs) and written by all five members of Cold War Kids, NEW AGE NORMS 2 arrives via CWKTWO/AWAL on Friday, August 21.

"The energy of this record is spontaneous, raw, soulful, chaotic," says Cold War Kids' Nathan Willett. "Just how we felt making it. It feels true and urgent. It feels modern and classic. I think it's the best record Cold War Kids has ever made. "

NEW AGE NORMS 2 is heralded by today's premiere of the extraordinary new single, "You Already Know," available now at all DSPs and streaming services; an official lyric visual is streaming via YouTube.

Listen below!

"You Already Know" marks the second single from NEW AGE NORMS 2, following the album-opening "Who's Gonna Love Me Now." An official companion visual - shot during quarantine by acclaimed filmmaker Mezzy (Lil Peep: Everybody's Everything, Lil Uzi Vert, Playboy Carti) - is streaming via YouTube.

Cold War Kids celebrated the release of "Who's Gonna Love Me Now" with an exclusive performance earlier this year on CBS This Morning's "Saturday Sessions," alongside live renditions of the NEW AGE NORMS 1 favorites, "Complainer" and "Calm Your Nerves."

Produced by Lars Stalfors (St. Vincent, HEALTH, Foster the People), NEW AGE NORMS 1 also includes such hit singles as "Beyond The Pale," "4th of July," and "Complainer," the latter of which proved a multi-format radio favorite, reaching the top 5 at Triple A and the top 20 at Alternative outlets across America. The album - which features cover art by the Los Angeles-based band's bassist, acclaimed artist Matt Maust - was also met by wide-ranging international applause, with Ireland's Hot Press simply declaring, "Cold War Kids are a band at the peak of their powers...NEW AGE NORMS 1 is a shiny, slinky salvo of funk-pop, but if you dig a little deeper, it's also a cerebral, politically charged powderkeg." "The eight-track album features themes on the new age norms of class, gender, race and power that shape the world today," wrote The Skinny, adding, "Beyond the sweet melodies and striking instrumentals, NEW AGE NORMS 1 is a project with a message."

Furthermore, Cold War Kids recently made history when "First," their RIAA gold certified 2015 single, was named by BDS (Broadcast Data Systems) for earning the most spins at Alternative radio outlets nationwide over the last decade. The track topped BDS' "Alternative Top-500 Airplay For Decade (January 1, 2010-December 31, 2019)" with 214,342 spins in less than five years, besting blockbuster hits by AWOLNATION, Arctic Monkeys, Portugal. The Man, and Milky Chance, among others. "First" follows the previous decade's most played Alternative track, The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."

Cold War Kids is: Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Matt Maust (bass guitar), David Quon (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, backing vocals, guitar, percussion), and Joe Plummer (drums, percussion).

Photo credit: Allen Alcantara

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