Sondre Lerche Releases New Album 'Avatars Of The Night' Featuring New Single 'The Most Savage Joke'

Sondre Lerche released his new 20-song album Avatars Of The Night, a collection of remixes, reworks, and demos of the material from his 2022 LP Avatars Of Love along with a brand-new song, "The Most Savage Joke."

Atwood Magazine called the new single "a dazzling display of grief and melancholy." Avatars of the Night is out now digitally and will be released as a limited edition double LP on May 19 ahead of his US tour of intimate solo performances that will kick off on May 18 in Chicago and will make stops in New York, Los Angeles and more. Tickets are on sale now or find a full list of tour dates below.

About the new single, Lerche explains: "'The Most Savage Joke' was the last song written for Avatars Of Love. It is perhaps a little ironic that it would've been the shortest song by far on this album with an average song running time of seven minutes.

At less than three minutes, clearly it had to go. I had originally written and recorded 16 songs that year, and I deeply wanted to include all of them. I had never felt that strongly about a body of songs and recordings before. For months I tried sequencing the album as a double vinyl, including The Most Savage Joke in the running order.

But when I realized that it would have to be a triple LP if I were to fit all 16 songs on it, I grew worried that I would just keep on writing and recording new songs in order to fill out all six vinyl sides, and that I'd simply never finish this album. I was so exhausted towards the end. Eventually I left off the two shortest songs, 'Sunset Tower In The Rain' -- which played like a summation of the central themes of the album; desire, loss and writing songs about desire and loss -- and 'The Most Savage Joke.'

It was the last one to be finalized, with co-producer Matias Tellez in the summer of 2021. I loved how compact in structure, yet big in projection it grew. But in the end it felt too fatalist and cynical next to the album's more frequently epic and poetic journeys that were so central to the collective body of work that became Avatars Of Love. It was done. I didn't listen to 'The Most Savage Joke' for a year, and I almost forgot it existed.

I was so caught up in touring and promoting the album. And then I heard it in an all new, refreshing light, as I was curating Avatars Of The Night. It suddenly felt like the closing argument to summarize the paradox of life and love I had needed 86 minutes to capture on Avatars Of Love: 'All this beauty we parade / is not of any use to us / until it goes away.'"

In addition to the newly released single, the album features remixes by William Basinski's SPARKLE DIVISION, Bayonne, Lindstrøm, mmeadows, and more. The collection features live versions, reworked versions, and even the demo Lerche delivered to AURORA for their duet "Alone In The Night."

As part of his ever-expanding creative universe which includes 9 studio albums, multiple film scores, three books and an acclaimed line of natural wines, Lerche has announced that he will star in the Nordic production of Moulin Rouge! which will premiere on August 30 at Chateau Neuf in Oslo, Norway. Sondre will play "Christian," the character made famous by Ewan McGregor in Baz Luhrman's original 2001 movie, where he starred alongside Nicole Kidman, whose character will be played by acclaimed Norwegian actress Heidi Ruud Ellingsen.

Lerche also recently announced PATOS Maceracion, the third wine in his collaboration with longtime biodynamic, family-run wine producer Castell D'Age. Maceracion is a 9 day skin contact orange wine, which follows the release of PATOS Luz Y Luz (biodynamic rosé) and Cuvée Patos (biodynamic sparkling white), which received a rave review from Paste Magazine upon their release.

Last April, Lerche released Avatars of Love, his most ambitious work to date, via PLZ / InGrooves. The 14 song double album, which is nominated for 4 Norwegian Grammy Awards, featured contributions from AURORA, CHAI, Felicia Douglass (Dirty Projectors), Mary Lattimore, Rodrigo Alarcon, and Ana Müller.

The album was highlighted on NPR's New Music Friday podcast, with NPR Music's Cyrena Touros calling it "a journey start to finish," while Paste Magazine said, "Sondre Lerche delivers his most ambitious record yet."

In their four star review, American Songwriter said, ​​"An impressive accomplishment, Avatars of Love probes the depths of desire to extraordinary effect." The album also garnered high praise from FLOOD Magazine, Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, Under The Radar, Uncut Magazine (9/10 stars) and many more.

Listen to the new album here:

An Evening With Sondre Lerche US Tour Dates

5/18: Chicago, IL - Old Town School
5/20: Brooklyn, NY - National Sawdust *SOLD OUT*
5/21: Minneapolis, MN - Dakota
5/23: Seattle, WA - Triple Door
5/24: San Francisco, CA - Chapel
5/25: Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
5/27: Ephraim, UT - Snow College

Credit: Hilde Solli

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