Roger Waters says his new album is a commentary on the current political climate in the world.
The former Pink Floyd musician took the opportunity at the launch of the upcoming ‘Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains’ in London to announce his first studio album of totally new material for 25 years will be called ‘Is This The Life You Really Want?’ and will tackle the rise of right wing politics in the US and the UK and the division of people that is occurring across the world.
Waters – who has been an outspoken of critic of Donald Trump both before and after he became America’s 45th President – hopes people will listen to what he has to say on the record because he insists rock music should be an avenue for political protest.
The 73-year-old bassist-and-vocalist said: "I’m just in the process of finishing my new album. It’s called ‘Is This The Life You Really Want?’ and whether it will have an impact and whether anyone will listen to it I have no idea, I hope so … It is about the things that I’ve been spouting on about. Is there is a place anymore in rock ‘n’ roll for protest, or comment, or politics? Yeah, I think there is, I know there is and there always has been."
When in Pink Floyd, Waters was responsible for tackling politics and subjects such as mental health and isolation on the band’s acclaimed albums ‘Dark Side of the Moon’, ‘The Wall’ and ‘The Final Cut’.
However, he believes that many listeners missed his lyrical messages and believed the psychedelic rockers – also comprised of drummer Nick Mason, guitarist-and-singer David Gilmour and late keyboard player Rick Wright – were just singing about "drugs and space".
Waters said: "Most of the work we did in Pink Floyd was very political. A lot of people didn’t notice it; they thought it was out of space and drugs, but it wasn’t! It was about the problems that human beings have relating to one another and developing our potential to empathise with one another and to realise that we’re all brothers and sisters and that we need to help one another and co-operate with one another because it’s only by doing that that we are able to provide a future for our children and our grandchildren."
After announcing his new album, Waters’ official Facebook page was updated to reveal the LP is "coming soon" with a 40-second tease of music.
Waters’ other three solo records – 1984’s ‘The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking’, 1987’s ‘Radio K.A.O.S.’ and 1992’s ‘Amused to Death’ – were all concept albums.
Waters is heading out on his ‘Us and Them Tour’ across North America in 2017 and kicks off his run of shows on May 26 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
He will be touring the rest of the world in 2018.
‘The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains’ runs at the V&A Museum in London from May 13 to October 1.
Roger Waters tackles modern politics on new album
