In 2015, the ground started to fall from under Rou Reynolds feet. He had been having occasional panic attacks for years, but hadnt put a name to the problem until that brutal summer. Frayed by touring and heavy professional expectations, he started self-medicating, which backfired massively.

The world was also spinning on its axis. Brexit. Trump. Terrorism. The steady dismantling of the NHS. The biting effects of austerity. The kind of social issues that have been Enter Shikaris lifeblood for almost a decade now.

Now Enter Shikari releases their highly anticipated new album The Spark, featuring the single “Live Outside”, out on 9/22 from Play It Again Sam/PIAS.

The Spark is an ambitious, inspiring piece of work that poignantly reflects their legendary career rise to have become one of the biggest and most exciting bands the UK has ever seen. Following four seminal albums of which three have been Top 10 overseas, The Spark is produced by David Kosten (Everything Everything, Bat For Lashes), and is Shikaris most melodic and personal album to date; a soundtrack to our tumultuous world, a record for everyone whos filled with frustration but hasnt lost the capacity for hope.

The spark is a new connection, a new beginning, says maverick frontman Rou Reynolds. It can be short and insignificant, but it can create something so significant. The spark is that light at the end of the tunnel when everything seems to be falling apart, but youre able to see some sort of path out of the dark.