World News to Release Debut Album IN PURGATORY, Spring 2027 US Tour

London band World News have unveiled their debut album In Purgatory, recorded at RAK Studios in central London with producer Tommy Bosustow (mary in the junkyard, Porridge Radio) and released via the band's own label, Pie & Mash Records.

Alongside the release of the record, the band also announced the news of their first-ever US tour during an interview on KEXP with John Richards yesterday. Slated for spring 2027, the tour includes stops in Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver and New York City.

In Purgatory showcases World News' ability to craft engaging, wistful post-rock that feels both strangely familiar and entirely original. Their first full-length offering brings together 11 gems collected from across the band's history, with some written as far back as 2020. Gleaming with nostalgic melodies and carrying a melancholic underbelly, In Purgatory wades through themes of mundanity, solitude, and finding bright spots in bleakness.

Vocalist and songwriter Alex Evans says, 'There are references to death, depression, break ups, and how life can sometimes feel like you're swimming in a pool of vinegar. However, there is also a comedic approach to these sentiments, and the notion that there is always hope.'

The band offered a final glimpse into the album with the gritty and groovy 'Vinegar Swimming Pool,' debuting on KEXP earlier this week. One of the darker, more distorted tracks on the album, the band describes it as 'a bit of a curveball. We were a bit cautious to put it on [the album], as it feels like a bit of a unicorn with the other tunes.'

Other highlights include 'The Way It Goes,' where World News' signature jangly guitars, punchy bass and bittersweet lyricism especially shine. The track arrived in August with an official music video, heralding the album announcement. 'Sidestep,' released in April, caught the attention of Rolling Stone (UK) and NME, and the album's first two singles – the disillusioned 'Don't Want to Know' and the shimmering, moody 'Everything Is Coming up Roses' – were both premiered by KEXP's John Richards and treated to rare back to back plays on his morning show last year.

In Purgatory is the culmination of years spent building an identity, gigging across the UK, and steadily building a cult fanbase organically. 'I hope people enjoy it,' Evans continues, 'Music has always been a big healer for me, so if our music can do the same for other people, then that would be a job well done in my book. I hope it can help people see the good in life, even when there is bad stuff going on.'

The band is currently on its biggest headlining UK/EU tour yet, which continues through December.

About World News

Heartbreak, night shifts, and the claustrophobia of London life in a windowless room–World News' debut single came out of their lowest point: lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020. Restless, disillusioned, and yearning for more, the quartet set into overdrive in the years that followed, releasing three EPs and a dozen singles and committing to a fiercely independent DIY ethos.

Originally performing under the name Tinman, brothers Alex and Rory Evans cut their teeth in Brighton's grassroots scene back in 2018, relentlessly chasing opening slots in the city's thriving music community. Following a case of mistaken identity when gig-goers arrived expecting an Austrian DJ of the same name, and a chance meeting with drummer Malte Henning over pizza at Dead Wax Social, they found their final form as World News. They were gaining momentum fast, having sold out their first headlining show in London at The Shacklewell Arms, when the pandemic hit and brought it all to a halt.

2020 saw the release of their debut EP Job and Money, a raw and pensive collection written by Alex during a time of personal turmoil, followed by highlight singles 'Wrapped in Gold' and 'The Tinman' in 2023. Riding that momentum, 2024 brought the rapid-fire release of two EPs, Escape and Mindsnap, and the addition of rhythm guitarist Jack Tollman. Escape expanded on their signature jangly sound, while Mindsnap dove into darker, gothic territory and marked the first body of work co-written by Alex and Rory.

Last year, the band saw an unexpected surge in streams on fan-favorite track 'The Tinman,' which made it into the global top 10 viral charts with no viral TikTok moment or editorial support. 'No one really knows how it happened,' says bassist Rory Evans, 'as far as we know, we just released it back in 2023, and people started sending it around last year, and it slowly built up traction. Then it just blew up over a week or two.'

Riding that momentum, the band hit the road across the UK in the spring of 2026, with sold-out shows at London's storied 100 Club, and in Amsterdam, Groningen, Rotterdam, Berlin, Bristol, and Manchester. Now, with the release of their debut album, In Purgatory, and their first-ever US tour dates in the books, World News begins a new era.

Tracklist

1. Frog

2. Don't Want to Know

3. Everything Is Coming up Roses

4. Vinegar Swimming Pool

5. I Don't Hate You

6. Classical Music

7. Sidestep

8. The Way It Goes

9. Purgatory

10. Wet, Dry, I Can't Fly

11. Look Inside My Mind

Tour Dates

October 20 — Manchester — Deaf Institute

October 21 — Southampton — Joiners

October 22 — Bristol — Thekla

October 23 — Brighton — Mutations Festival

October 30 — Barcelona — LAUT

October 31 — Madrid — Café La Palma

November 3 — London — Scala

November 4 — Rotterdam — Rotown

December 16 — Belfast — Voodoo

December 18 — Dublin — Whelan's

March 19+21 – Austin, TX – TBA

March 22 – Tucson, AZ – TBA

March 25 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar

March 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon

March 27 – Santa Cruz, CA – Crepe Place

March 28 – San Francisco, CA – Kilowatt

March 30 – Portland, OR – Show Bar

March 31 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern

April 3 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest

April 4 – Salt Lake City, UT – The DLC

April 6 – Denver, CO – Hi Dive

April 8 – New York, NY – Night Club 101