If much of the mindset and mantra behind Above & Beyond over the last quarter of a century has been born from the idea of connection, then their fifth artist album, “Bigger Than All Of Us,” is best summed up in one word: reconnection.
It’s been seven years since Jono Grant, Paavo Siljamäki, and Tony McGuinness released their fourth electronic album, “Common Ground.” A #3 on the Billboard charts – an achievement that speaks to the British band’s huge, arena-to-amphitheater scale profile in America, a level of success replicated in almost every other corner of the world.
The time since has seen a series of projects come to life both collectively and individually: 2019’s ambient, yoga-and-meditation-friendly album “Flow State,” streamed over 400 million times worldwide; a series of club-ready instrumentals under the Tranquility Base moniker; radio records “See The End,” “Over Now” and “Crazy Love.”
In the meantime, the band embarked on personal projects outside of the Above & Beyond framework. Grant collaborated with long-time friend Daren Tate on 2022’s self-titled synthwave JODA album. In 2023, Siljamäki reprised his P.O.S. alias, releasing the dance floor-focused album “Deeper Tales.” Last year, McGuinness dug in his own crates for “Salt,” an album based on a studio-freshened selection of emotional singer-songwriter compositions originally written as the ’90s rave and Britpop fever dreams faded.
A worldwide touring schedule, their weekly Group Therapy radio show, and overseeing a family of iconic dance labels, Anjunabeats, Anjunadeep, and, most recently, Anjunachill – it’s never quiet in the world of Above & Beyond.
But it’s the spirit of music uniting us all championed through their studio albums “Tri-State,” “Group Therapy,” “We Are All We Need,” and “Common Ground,” that has been their most enduring appeal. Real-life stories of hope, heartbreak, and healing that bring together dance music’s biggest global community.
Introducing, then, “Quicksand (Don’t Go),” the new single that is, in all the right and best ways, the comeback of Above & Beyond. The lead track from a record where the band’s power, strength, range, appeal, and adaptability is baked into the title: their fifth album is “Bigger Than All of Us.”
Debuted during the band’s sold-out global Group Therapy 600 broadcast in Mexico last October, it reunites Jono, Paavo, and Tony with Zoë Johnston, who is the partner in “We’re All We Need,” “Good For Me,” and “Love Is Not Enough,” among countless other favorites.
“It’s classic Zoë Johnston,” explains Above & Beyond. “We’ve been working with her for 22 years, so she’s a part of the band. By that token, a song with her vocals is a very reassuring thing for our audience. It says: Above & Beyond are back, in a very recognizable form.”
As Johnston describes her deeply personal but sublimely universal lyrics: “I think most of us can relate to that feeling of desperation and dread when it comes to losing someone we love so deeply. The despair can be massive when you’re watching the grief rattle down the track toward you for quite some time before the moment of impact actually happens. Disappearing into quicksand. It’s scary, it hurts, and it’s lonely. Hopefully, a song like this will make anyone going through the pain of a seismic loss feel a little bit less alone.”
Above & Beyond and Zoë Johnston’s “Quicksand (Don’t Go)” arrives this Friday, March 21, the first of several records that will see them reunite with their family of collaborators alongside some new storytellers on the album. Pre-save HERE.
“Bigger Than All Of Us,” the new album from Above & Beyond, will be released on July 18 on Anjunabeats. The album is available to pre-order on vinyl and CD, limited edition colored vinyl, and picture disc via the Anjuna Music Store. Pre-order the Vinyl, CD, and limited merch bundles HERE.
“There are songs on here that have stood the test of time in our little world and have had a new life breathed into them by the process that we’ve adopted. But they’re classic Above & Beyond songs, and I think they speak to the huge, worldwide effect that Above & Beyond has. A worldwide meaning. A worldwide connection.” – Above & Beyond
TOUR DATES
March 30 – Ultra Music Festival – Miami, FL
April 12 – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – Indio, CA
April 19 – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – Indio, CA
June 20-22 – Escapade – Ottawa, ON
November 15 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
+ ‘Bigger Than All Of Us’ album tour dates to be announced soon
