This morning, the mountain monks of Fleet Foxes took to Facebook to quietly announce (via a BandsInTown link) that they'll play at Portland's Crystal Ballroom Thursday, May 18.Pitchfork had previously determined that the band's scheduled date at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island this July would be their first US show in six years, so I guess Portland now has that honor.
After releasing and touring behind 2011's Helplessness Blues, frontman Robin Pecknold announced an indefinite hiatus. He toured solo with Joanna Newsom last year and has sporadically released songs under his own name, but until the fall of 2016 hadn't confirmed there'd be any more Fleet Foxes albums. This reunion won't see Fleet Foxes as they were in 2011, though—Josh Tillman has since left the band and gone solo as Father John Misty, his annoyingly ironic stage persona.
Fleet Foxes will release Crack-Up June 16 on Nonesuch Records, which they've teased with its sprawling first single "Third of May / Ōdaigahara.” That's nearly a month after this Portland show, so unless they announce even earlier dates elsewhere in the US, our city might be the first to hear the new record live. Speaking of which, it's unclear when tickets will go on sale and how much they'll cost, but mark your calendar for Thursday, May 18 at the Crystal Ballroom and keep an eye on this ticket link.