Irish pop-punks Ash have today announced a release date for their ninth studio album.
Ad Astra will be released on 3 October via Fierce Panda Records, and accompanied by a UK tour.
They also shared the second single from the record, Give Me Back My World, one of two songs featuring Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.
Ad Astra follows hot on the heels of their 2023 album Race The Night (reviewed here), which was their highest-charting album for 20 years.
The new record also contains their surprise single Jump In The Line (best known as the song from the Beeteljuice movie).
Ash vowed that the pandemic-induced five-year gap between 2018 album Islands and Race The Night would never happen again.
Lead singer and guitarist Tim Wheeler says of Give Me Back My World: “If I told you this song dates back to 2020 you’d hardly need a degree from the school of Marple, Holmes and Poirot to figure out what it’s getting at.
“And although those sentiments may be just a memory from the standpoint of 2025, the song’s heart still feels relevant. In a time of chaos, disruption and angst there’s still a beautiful world out there and it’s worth fighting for.
“Have you ever had one of those moments where you feel the rug has been pulled from under you? Everything you took for granted goes up in smoke and you are no longer in control, and you can only look back in hindsight at a life that’s no longer yours?
“I think we’ve all had those moments. I think you can all relate to this song. But luckily for you it a) rails against this loss of control and b) is a total banger. So, fire it up and rage with us against the dying of the light.”
Ash recently played Glastonbury for the eighth time – equalling the multi-performance record of Van Morrison – and toured the UK with The Darkness.
They’re embarking on a series of live dates around the album release later in the year. Tickets are available HERE.
