The Who announces studio album, US tour

Roger Daltrey (L) and Pete Townshend of English rock band The Who perform on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival of Music and Performing Arts on Worthy Farm near the village of Pilton in Somerset, South West England, on June 28, 2015. Image: AFP/Oli Scarff via AFP Relaxnews

The Who got fans buzzing this weekend with news of a brand-new studio album on the horizon, plus a 29-date tour in which the classic rock band will perform with symphony orchestras around North America.

The band revealed the news in a short message on their website, referring to an in-depth article in Rolling Stone.

The album is due out this year, says the band, although according to the report, it now consists only of 15 demos crafted by Pete Townshend in studios around England last year.

The next step will be for Roger Daltrey to record vocals for the album, about which Townshend said, “This has nothing to do with wanting a hit album. It has nothing to do with the fact that the Who need a new album. It’s purely personal. It’s about my pride, my sense of self-worth and self-dignity as a writer.”

Before the LP, the band’s first since 2006’s “Endless Wire”, comes to fruition, however, The Who will be heading out on an extensive tour of the United States.

While dates have yet to be announced, the band revealed on their website that the tour will kick off in April. In Rolling Stone, the band members offered up a slightly different timeline, saying it will launch in Michigan in May and hit cities all over the East Coast over the course of 12 shows. It will then pick back up in September and October, they say, for shows in Canada and the western U.S.

Most shows over the course of the tour will be held at arenas, with a local symphony orchestra joining them at each show. JB

RELATED STORIES:

Aretha Franklin honored with star-studded tribute concert

New Order to reissue debut album as box set