Today, Portland, Maine’s SeepeopleS have released a stunning yet deeply harrowing video along with their new single “Shame.” The video comes ahead of the release of their sixth studio LP, Field Guide For Survival In This Dying World, which will drop Oct. 7 via the group’s frontman Will Bradford’s label RascalZRecordZ.

“Shame” is a muted and slow-paced bedroom-pop song on which Bradford explores the fear of living in a state of fear caused by the constant threat of violence in a country where safety can not even be guaranteed in schools. 

“I started writing ‘Shame’ right after Sandy Hook, when my son described the mass shooter drills they do at school,” Bradford shared in a statement. “It’s all about what it means to be innocent and young and afraid, and how vulnerable to violence we are.”

The video accompanying video was created by Pete List, who is known for his work on Celebrity Death Match, and follows a young man as he experiences Bradford’s lyrics: when he sings, “Someone is crashing the bus you get used to the horror the pain,” the young man is thrown, though that’s not nearly the worst of what he experiences throughout the video. List and SeepeopleS collaborated once before in 2018 for “New American Dream,” which won a Pixie Award for “Best Video” but was ultimately banned by Facebook for its politics.

“Everything I’ve written for SeepeopleS has been about how our world exists and breaks down around us,” Bradford said. “But if this world, our world, is ending, how do we survive it together?”

Through Field Guide For Survival In This Dying World, Bradford weaves a collection of an empathetic, emotionally mindful lineup of songs that serve as both a documentation of personal struggle and a companion in a world on the brink of collapse.

“It’s all about connection. I’ve always been making an effort to connect everything and everyone; that’s why there’s no genre for SeepeopleS,” Bradford continued to share. “This is my one project that I’ll always have where I can incorporate everything I love and say whatever the hell I want.”

Bradford started working on the forthcoming LP in 2017 and was set to release the album and embark on a 20th-anniversary tour in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. His plans were sidelined, but Bradford continued to work on the album, completely focusing on Field Guide For Survival In This Dying World and connecting with friends to expand his vision.

The new album features his longtime recording partner Will Holland (Pixies, Dead Can Dance, New Pornographers), saxophonist and bass clarinetist Dana Colley (Morphine, Vapors Of Morphine), drummers Nikki Glaspie (Beyoncé, The Nth Power, Maceo Parker), Jerome Deupree (Morphine), and Dan Capaldi (Sea Level), bassists Ian Riley (Cadaverette) and Nate Edgar (The Nth Power, John Brown’s Body), guitarist Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), pedal steel guitarist “Cowboy” Eddie Long (Taylor Swift, ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers, Hank Williams Jr.), bassoonist Jason Ward (Rustic Overtones), upright bassist David Yearwood (Forêt Endormie, Snap! Thee Asparagus, HX Kitten), cellist Devon Colella (QUAD) and backing vocalists including Brooke Binion (theWorst), Courtney Peare, Griffin Sherry (The Ghost of Paul Revere) and Sparxsea, who also performed flute to several tracks on Field Guide.

“One of the few good things about the pandemic was that it was really the first time, as musicians, that everyone had time off the road to reconnect with each other,” said Bradford. “I was so depressed at the time, having my friends come to the rescue and get me pumped about the record again was, creatively, exactly what I needed. Also, in some ways, the convenience of the world ending while we were already making an end of the world album certainly helped motivate us to follow through on finishing this record, and ultimately, this statement.”

SeepeopleS are ready to take to the road to share their statement with the masses with a West Coast tour starting on Oct. 19 in Bend, Ore. After a night in Portland, Ore., they’ll explore the coast making stops in cities including Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, and more. In December, they’ll head to the East Coast for two shows in New York state before performing on New Year in their hometown of Portland, Maine.

Watch the video for “Shame” below.

Some may find the video disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

West Coast Tour Dates

Oct. 19 Volcanic Theatre Pub – Bend, OR

Oct. 20 Mission Theater – Portland, OR

Oct. 21 Substation – Seattle, WA

Oct. 22 John Henry’s – Eugene, OR

Oct. 23 Local 31 – Ashland, OR

Oct. 24 Sirensong – Eureka, CA

Oct. 25 Bottom Of The Hill – San Francisco, CA

Oct. 26 Frog & Peach – San Luis Obispo, CA

Oct. 27 Winston’s – San Diego, CA

Oct. 28 Harvelle’s – Santa Monica, CA

Oct. 29 Cactus Jack’s – Phoenix, AZ

Oct. 31 House Of Bards – Tucson, AZ

Nov. 3 Ponyboy – Oklahoma CIty, OK

Nov. 4 TBA

Nov. 5 The Pershing (Private) – Austin, TX

Nov. 7 Preservation Pub –  Knoxville, TN

Dec. 9 Webster Hall – New York, NY

Dec. 10 Deep Dive – Ithaca, NY

Dec. 31 Bayside Bowl – Portland, ME