The most important thing to know about Asobi Seksu‘s upcoming new studio album? “Hush was written while we felt destroyed,” reveals guitarist James Hanna. Adds singer Yuki Chikudate, “our last record was done under such stressful conditions, especially given the time constraints, so there was not as much room to try out everything that we wanted to.” Thus, when the New York natives headed into the studio last summer, they decided to take a different approach, abandoning the “7,000 reverb guitars” and shoegaze-pop revivalism, or the sounds which helped 2006′s Citrus earn wide acclaim, in favor of a stripped down, in depth style.

The result is Hush, a 12-track effort due out on February 17th via Polyvinyl. Produced by Chris Zane, Asboi’s third full-length effort is described as a collection of “dew-draped” riffs and “spiral staircase” melodies, all of which bring about a “phoenix rising vibe”. (See: Hush‘s newest single, Familiar Light, as an example.)

In support of the release, Asobi Seksu have announced dates for a rather extensive world tour, set to begin early next month and continuing into early April. The band also plans to make a stop at South by Southwest as well.

Check Out:
“Familiar Light”

Hush Tracklist:
01. Layers
02. Familiar Light
03. Sing Tomorrow’s Praise
04. Gliss
05. Transparence
06. Risky and Pretty
07. In the Sky
08. Meh No Mae
09. Glacially
10. I Can’t See
11. Me & Mary
12. Blind Little Rain

Asobi Skesu 2009 Tour Dates:
02/08 – Southampton, UK @ The Talking Heads
02/09 – London, UK @ Islington Academy
02/10 – Manchester, UK @ Roadhouse
02/11 – Dublin, IE @ Crawdaddy
02/13 – Belfast, UK @ Speakeasy
02/14 – Glasgow, UK @ ABC2
02/15 – Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny
02/16 – Leeds, UK @ Faversham
02/18 – Birmingham, UK @ Barfly
02/19 – London, UK @ ICA
02/20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
02/21 – Paris, FR @ Fleche d’Or
02/22 – Brussels, BE @ Rotonde
02/24 – Muenster, DE @ Gleiss 22
02/25 – Berlin, DE @ Magnet
03/02 – Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
03/03 – Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
03/04 – Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room at Crofoot Ballroom
03/05 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
03/06 – Bloomington, IL @ Illinois Wesleyan U.-Young
03/07 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
03/10 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
03/11 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
03/13 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
03/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubador
03/15 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/22 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
03/23 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
03/24 – Memphis, TN @ Young Avenue Deli
03/25 – Atlanta, GA @ Eyedrum
03/26 – Chapel HIll, NC @ Local 506
03/28 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
03/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
04/02 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom