Listen to Jethro Tull’s Shoshana Sleeping – their first new material in 18 years!

Jethro Tull have shared the first single from their upcoming new album, The Zealot Gene – due on InsideOut on January 28. The track, Shoshana Sleeping, is accompanied by a a stunning visual created by Thomas Hicks – stream it below!

The record originally started to tape shape in 2017 and is their first studio album of new material since 2003’s The Jethro Tull Christmas Album. In many ways, The Zealot Gene seeks to defy convention during a time when the business of being a touring and recording artist has never faced more uncertainties. 

Bandleader Ian Anderson holds no reservations about the role for which the mythos and themes of Biblical storytelling played in the lyrical content of the new album, saying: “While I have a spot of genuine fondness for the pomp and fairytale story-telling of the Holy Book, I still feel the need to question and draw sometimes unholy parallels from the text. The good, the bad, and the downright ugly rear their heads throughout, but are punctuated with elements of love, respect, and tenderness.”

Looking back on the Earth-shaking disruption of the pandemic, which ultimately ended the band’s touring plans and hopes of a 2020 release for The Zealot Gene, Anderson shares, “It was so sudden. Amidst the concerns and warnings of the scientific community and a few more enlightened politicians, we all retreated in disbelief to our homes to wait out the storm.”

The Zealot Gene will be available the following formats:

Both artbook editions feature a second CD of demos and initial ideas, plus extended liner notes and an interview with Ian Anderson undertaken by Tim Bowness (No-man)

The Deluxe 3LP+2CD+Blu-ray Artbook comes on white vinyl and includes a 3rd LP with the rough demos. It also includes a slipmat and a numbered art print. 

The band currently consists of:

Ian Anderson – Flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
Joe Parrish-James – Guitar
Florian Opahle – Guitar (album only)
Scott Hammond – Drums.
John O’Hara – Piano, keyboards and accordion
David Goodier – Bass guitar

The Zealot Gene Tracklisting:

1. Mrs. Tibbets (5:54)
2. Jacob’s Tales (2:13)
3. Mine Is The Mountain (5:40)
4. The Zealot Gene (3:54)
5. Shoshana Sleeping (3:41)
6. Sad City Sisters (3:40)
7. Barren Beth, Wild Desert John (3:37)
8. The Betrayal Of Joshua Kynde (4:06)
9. Where Did Saturday Go? (3:53)
10. Three Loves, Three (3:30)
11. In Brief Visitation (3:00)
12. The Fisherman Of Ephesus (3:41)

Source: loudersound.com