José González

BIOGRAPHY

José González has released his new album, Against The Dying Of The Light, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based singer-songwriter and guitarist’s fifth studio LP and first new collection of original songs in more than four years.

Against The Dying Of The Light – which follows, and in many ways serves as a sister volume to, 2021’s acclaimed Local Valley – sees González once again commenting on humanity and its uncertain future through the power of his distinctively engaging, deeply contemplative, acoustic-based songcraft. Inspired by the forward-thinking work of Jonathan Haidt, Liv Boeree, Yuval Harari, and Steven Pinker, the award-winning artist presents a wide-ranging collection of nuanced songs that explore big ideas with clarity and intention. The album explores topics such as game theory, moral philosophy, and the narratives we use to explain our world. González also confronts the ethical ambiguity of modern technology, which drives progress while simultaneously challenging our sense of humanity. These themes are delivered with warmth and immediacy through his intuitive vocals and singularly inventive finger-picking guitar.

“Against The Dying Of The Light is a collection of songs reflecting on humanity,” says González. “Who we are – tribes of sentient apes with stories that sometimes are incompatible with each other and tools that could eventually lead to dystopia or extinction. It’s also a reflection of how we create hurdles to human flourishing by stubbornly clinging to dogmatic ideologies, where people follow dudes who pretend to know shit they don’t.

“As a concerned world citizen, I wrote these songs as a reflection of our times. Times of amazing progress, but also worrying backslides to dogmatic tribal ideologies and an extremely uncertain future. These are songs about how we can navigate humanity towards flourishing on an individual and a collective level. They can be listened to just for the sounds, harmonies, and rhythms, but the lyrics are meant to inspire people to engage and take action by collaborating to solve collective problems. For humanism and enlightenment values and against the dying of the light.”

Against The Dying Of The Light was initially heralded by González’s lighter side with the single, “Pajarito,” a song he sings in Spanish and dedicates to his son, Mateo. It was accompanied by a playful official music video inspired by the interaction between Swedish folk art and artificial intelligence. It was followed by the album’s title track, along with an official music video directed by filmmaker Fredrik Egerstrand (known for 2010’s award-winning documentary The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of José González). “A Perfect Storm” was the most recently released single. It is inspired by both the sound of González’s groundbreaking live performances and by diverse influences such as West Saharan desert blues, post-hardcore heroes Quicksand, and experimental rock combo Battles. The dynamic track sees González warning against what many AI experts describe as a “race to lose control,” with propulsive rhythmic fingerpicking that builds to a thrillingly distorted peak beneath his intimate vocal performance. Rather than offering easy answers, González captures the emotional weight of living inside this accelerating moment – caught between awe and anxiety, hope and hubris.

González will celebrate the arrival of Against The Dying Of The Light with a cross-country headlining tour of the States in April and May, including a sold-out performance at San Francisco’s Castro Theater on May 3. For complete details and ticket information, please visit jose-gonzalez.com/tour-dates.