The Lumineers Release Their First New Album in Almost Two Years

For those who love soft indie rock, The Lumineers are likely a household name. The Denver-based trio rose to fame in 2012 with their hit song “Ho Hey,” which eventually made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The band had been around since 2009, originally consisting of just vocalist Wesley Schultz and percussionist Jeremiah Fraites. In 2010, they were joined by cellist Neyla Pekarek, who eventually left the band in 2018.

Following the release of “Ho Hey,” The Lumineers released their self-titled album on April 3, 2012. Other notable songs from this album include “Stubborn Love” and “Submarines,” both of which were released as singles. 2012 proved to be a good year for The Lumineers, as they also released an EP titled “Winter” and were nominated for two Grammy awards. Two years later, they announced that they were working on their second album, titled “Cleopatra.”

“Cleopatra” was released in April 2016, four years after their self-titled album. The first single off this album, “Ophelia,” reached music streaming platforms on Feb. 5, 2016, and quickly rose to the top of the Triple A Charts, where it stayed for 13 weeks. “Cleopatra” features a very similar sound to “The Lumineers,” with songs backed primarily by piano and acoustic guitar. This album had two other singles: “Angela” and the title track, “Cleopatra.” Both songs come from various personal experiences from lead singer Wesley Schultz. “Angela” was in part inspired by a former partner, and “Cleopatra” is based on Schultz’s encounter with a taxi driver in New York. “Cleopatra” made music history as the first independent album to have three top five singles on alternative radio. It was also accompanied by a massive world tour with the band performing in 12 different countries.

2018 saw a year of change for The Lumineers, as cellist Neyla Pekarek left the band in October so she could focus on a solo career. In 2019, the band went through a rebranding and emerged as the duo of Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites. Their overall sound did not change much besides the noticeable lack of the cello that appeared in many of their early songs. Currently, the songs are entirely written by Schultz and Fraites.

2019 also came with the release of their third studio album, “III.” Following their now long-standing pattern, the album was released in April of that year. The lead single, “Gloria,” was released only three days after the album as a whole. Although they did play a few shows that year, their only major one occurred at the Glastonbury Festival on June 28.

The Lumineers took a break for all of 2020, returning in September 2021 with the announcement of their upcoming album “Brightside,” which is their fourth studio album overall and their second as a duo. The album is due for release in January 2022, officially breaking their pattern of releasing new music during the first week of April. The album’s title track was released as a single the same day they announced the album, which adds to the surprise factor of their comeback. The two other singles, “Big Shot” and “AM Radio” were released on Oct. 13 and Nov. 17, respectively.

Although the band currently has no plans for a tour, there is still plenty of reason for Lumineers fans to be excited. Considering that this is their first full-length release in almost two years, a lot of hype surrounds the new album. According to lead singer Wesley Schultz, the title track was recorded in a single day, which shows how much enthusiasm the band has for this album. “Brightside” is scheduled for a Jan. 14 release and will hit all the major music streaming platforms the same day.