The New Pornographers – “Votive” [Video]

Mandolins, Memory, and a Slow-Burn Glow

The New Pornographers are back with a new video for “Votive,” a standout track from their upcoming album The Former Site Of, out March 27 via Merge Records. If you’re already counting the days, you’re not alone.

Built around A.C. Newman’s chiming mandolin, “Votive” opens in a hazy swirl of synth and keys before stretching into something looser and more open ended. It’s patient, melodic, and quietly expansive. The animated video, created by Michael Arthur, mirrors that feeling, pulling imagery straight from the lyrics while circling around the song’s gently insistent refrain, “I didn’t see you there.” It feels intimate without being precious and lets the song breathe.

The Former Site Of marks the band’s tenth studio album and gathers ten compact stories about people pushed to emotional and social edges. Newman sketched the record out in his home studio first, shaping the bones of each song before bringing them to the full band. That process gives the album a focused core while still leaving room for the group’s trademark interplay. Alongside Newman are Kathryn Calder, Neko Case, John Collins, and Todd Fancey, with legendary session drummer Charley Drayton stepping in on the record. Josh Wells will handle drums on the upcoming tour.

“Votive” follows the earlier single “Ballad Of The Last Payphone,” which leaned into reflection and restraint and earned plenty of praise for its warmth and emotional pull. Together, the two tracks suggest an album that’s less about flash and more about feeling, still sharp, still catchy, but willing to linger where it counts.

You can pre order The Former Site Of here:
https://www.mergerecords.com (also available via the band’s webstore, including limited color vinyl variants)

The band hits the road this spring with Will Sheff of Okkervil River joining as support on all dates.

Tour Dates
April 22 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur
April 23 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
April 24 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
April 25 – Rochester, NY – Water Street Music Hall
April 27 – Detroit, MI – El Club
April 29 – Millvale, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
April 30 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
May 1 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
May 2 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fitzgerald Theater
May 3 – Chicago, IL – The Metro
May 5 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
May 6 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room
May 8 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox
May 9 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
May 11 – San Francisco, CA – The Castro Theatre
May 12 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
May 13 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
May 15 – Austin, TX – Mohawk Outside
May 16 – Dallas, TX – The Kessler Theater
May 17 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live
May 19 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
May 20 – Saxapahaw, NC – Haw River Ballroom
May 21 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club