Listen to Anathema’s New Album, ‘Distant Satellites’ – Exclusive Premiere

Few bands have shown the tenacity that Anathema have. The Liverpool group has been releasing a steady string of albums since the 'Crestfallen' EP came out in 1992. Today, we've got the exclusive stream of their brand new album, 'Distant Satellites,' which comes out next week.

'Distant Satellites' is a bit of an enigma, somehow sounding sparse and dense, often simultaneously. Driven by piano and strings and dramatic progressions, much of the album is introspective and thoughtful. One track, 'You're Not Alone,' is a stand-out song for its blistering pace and jagged guitars -- a bit of a change from the rest of the album.

This new, sparse approach to songwriting was very much an intentional break from the band's norm.

"We thought it was time to strip the elements back, so unless something really needs to be there we’re not gonna put it on,” said Danny Cavanagh, singer and guitarist of the band. “It was a bit of the Radiohead ‘Kid A’ approach. ‘OK Computer’ was very dense and layered, and they came back with this stripped back recording that was based and built around the vocals, and it wasn’t totally jammed and multi-layered."

The Radiohead influence can be heard throughout the album, especially on the title track. Cavanagh also cited the minimalist approach of Australian rockers AC/DC, and even said they almost named the new album 'Kid AC/DC.' We're glad they went with 'Distant Satellites.'