Over the weekend, NERO added to the string of soundbites from their upcoming sophomore release with the title track, "Between II Worlds." The UK-based bass music trio then took to the desert of Indio, California, to debut more new tracks at Coachella later that day. After putting out a handful of singles, remixes, and social media teasers over the past couple of years, it's about time that Alana Watson, Joe Ray, and Dan Stephens opened up about their second album.
Four years goes by like a beast in the music world. In the time since NERO debuted with Welcome Reality in 2011, Kaskade put out two chart-topping records (Fire & Ice in late 2011 and Atmosphere in 2013); Skrillex and Boys Noize took over festival line-ups with their techno side-project Dog Blood, then took a break, then started back up again; and Laidback Luke and Gina Turner got married and had a baby. We've been holding our breaths four years too long. And after all that time spent in-and-out of the studio, we're sure NERO's second record will be totally worth it. (Their Coachella set surely did not disappoint!)
The Grammy-winning group took to their Facebook page to post an official announcement video regarding the official release date. Surprise, surprise: Between II Worlds will be out on August 28, otherwise written as 28.08, the first track off NERO's 2011 debut, Welcome Reality.
Gradually, the group has supplied our hungry ears with tracks off their as-yet-unreleased record. Here's what we have so far:
"Between II Worlds" evokes an image of some desolate, distant planet, covered in dust and martians' tears. Or probably just a more apocalyptic version of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.
Last month, NERO released "The Thrill," a sure-to-be anthem in which Alana's haunting voice drives the trio's classic, hard-hitting synths.
And almost a year ago, they made waves in the music world after keeping mum for so long with the industrial-inspired "Satisfy."
The tracklist for Between II Worlds has also been released:
1. Circles
2. The Thrill
3. Into The Past (Reboot)
4. Dark Skies
5. Two Minds
6. What Does Love Mean
7. It Comes and It Goes
8. Between Two Worlds
9. Into The Night
10. Satisfy
11. Tonight
12. Wasted