The Early November Premieres New Album on Billboard

Though summer is over, Lilac is in bloom. The highly anticipated 5th studio album from alternative rock icons The Early November is premiering now, exclusively on Billboard. Set to be released this Friday, September 27th via Rise Records, Lilac represents a shift towards a more pop-centric sound while preserving the raw vulnerability that the band has become known for.

"Lilac started with the idea of trying to help someone. I was losing sleep over it, and it got really heavy for me. There were times when I got lost in wishing that things would get better," admits lead singer Ace Enders. "But over time it became a reflection of the idea that it's okay to be dark, it's okay to feel like you're at the bottom. Sometimes you dig these deep holes for yourself - you just have to realize it's up to you to get out if it."

The Early November is currently on the road in support of the new record. The full-US run kicked off last month and features support from Have Mercy and OWEL. For a full list of remaining shows, please see below or visit www.theearlynovembermusic.net.

Produced by Enders at his own LumberYard Recording Studio, Lilac channels a heavy-hearted determination in its chiming guitars, kinetic rhythms, and complex yet indelible melodies. As Enders reveals, the album's eclectic sonic palette and inventive arrangements have much to do with an intentional shift in songcraft. "A lot of the songs came from avoiding that comfort zone of a very sad guitar line, and going to a completely different instrument-like starting with strings or piano or sometimes a beat," he says. "

I tend to hang on to those very droney tones, so rethinking the way songs could be put together made everything pop a little bit more."

Throughout Lilac, The Early November match their emotional outpouring with rigorous self-examination, a dynamic embodied on the confessional but cathartic "Hit By A Car (In Euphoria)." "That song is like a journey of me realizing how good I am at hiding my inner demons, and then feeling sort of crazy for a while, and then finally telling myself to just stop complaining," Enders explains. On "I Dissolve," the band captures an existential frustration, threading the defiantly soaring track with some brutally self-aware reflection. One of the most poignant moments on the album, "Ave Maria" builds a brilliant tension between its bright textures and lyrics speaking to a weary perseverance. And on "The Lilac," The Early November close out with a hushed folk reverie, their lilting harmonies and lush string arrangement cutting through a mood of fragile desperation.

Despite often pushing into troubled emotional terrain, Lilac ultimately conveys a restless idealism, a message made all the more impactful by The Early November's unapologetic honesty. "The thing I'd love for people to take away from this record is that it's okay to go through dark times, but don't get too hung up on them-don't let the dark times end you," says Enders. "This album started out dwelling too much on that darkness, but hopefully now it can bring a little bit of light to anyone who needs it."

Lilac Tracklisting:

1. Perfect Sphere (Bubble)

2. My Weakness

3. Ave Maria

4. Hit By A Car (In Euphoria)

5. Comatose

6. Fame

7. You Own My Mind

8. I Dissolve

9. Make My Bed

10. Our Choice

11. The Lilac

Upcoming Tour Dates:

9/26 - San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues Voodoo Room

9/27 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction

9/28 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill

9/30 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon

10/01 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret

10/02 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre

10/04 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court

10/05 - Denver, CO @ Globe

10/07 - Kansas City, MO - The Rino

10/08 - Burnsville, MN @ The Garage

10/09 - Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge

10/11 - Cleveland, OH - Mahall's

10/12 - Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups

10/13 - Toronto, ON @ Hardluck Bar

10/14 - Detroit, MI @ The Shelter

10/16 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

10/17 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade

10/18 - Asbury Park, NJ @ House Of Independents

10/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ TLA

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