Manchester indie band Wu Lyf have released a new single, 'The Fool', from their upcoming second album. The track is available on their L Y F Community platform, while a meme version featuring AI-generated Homer Simpson vocals appears on Spotify. The band has also announced an online listening party and UK live shows.
Wu Lyf shared 'The Fool', described by frontman Ellery James Roberts as a 'simple, sweet love song' that emerged fully formed during jamming sessions. The song features ambient instrumentals, heartfelt vocals and lyrics like 'The heartbreak and the letting go / We found the punchline to this cosmic joke / We know that we need to know that everything is love.' Roberts explained it gives voice to the 'archetypal holy fool' yearning for love as a path to the divine. The track previews the band's second album, 'A Wave That Will Never Break', due April 10, following their 2011 debut 'Go Tell Fire To The Mountain' and recent single 'Love Your Fate' after a 13-year hiatus from major streaming platforms. They previously pulled music from Spotify last September, protesting CEO Daniel Ek's investment in AI military drones and the platform's impact on music culture. On Spotify, fans find a parody version with Homer Simpson's AI voice, including a message at the one-minute mark: 'Slopify is dead. Long live Wucify. Don’t be a fool, listen to the full song exclusively on WORLDUNITE.ORG. Love you forever. D’oh!' This nods to the viral AI Homer trend while directing listeners to the band's site. Wu Lyf announced a worldwide online listening party for L Y F Community members on Easter Sunday, April 5. They added intimate UK shows partnering with independent record shops: April 9 in Leeds at Jumbo Records @ Brudenell, 11 in Liverpool at Jacaranda Records @ Baltic, 13 in Bristol at Rough Trade Records @ Thekla, and 15 in London at Rough Trade Records @ Village Underground. These join previously scheduled dates in North America and Manchester's Albert Hall on June 13.