José González Announces His Eagerly Anticipated New Album 'Against The Dying Of The Light'

Iulia Furnica
Jan 20
2 min read

On January 13, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist José González announced his upcoming fifth album Against The Dying Of The Light, set to release via Mute Records (US/Canada) and City Slang (rest of the world) on March 27. To celebrate the announcement, González unveiled the contemplative title track as the newest single, accompanied by a music video directed by Fredrik Egerstrand.

“‘Against The Dying Of The Light’ is a song reflecting on humanity in 2025,” says González. “It’s about accepting who we are and what led us here, since the past can’t be changed. Then, about refocusing our attention on the challenges ahead, like pervert incentives and algorithms that aren't in line with human flourishing. Even though natural selection led us here, we don’t have to do what is in the gene’s best interest. And even though cultural evolution led to our societies, we don’t have to keep all the narratives if they drag us down. And even though we have enormous opportunities with new technology that can eventually design and copy itself, we don’t have to build it right away if it has the potential to make us obsolete. We can rebel against these replicators, rebel against the dying of the light.”

-José González

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9krPYK6JWM

The new album can be seen as a companion for the 2021 Local Valley, as it addresses similar topics. Against The Dying Of The Light includes a wide range of songs aimed to delve into the subject of moral philosophy and the ethical ambiguity of modern technology and how it affects humanity. Taking inspiration from the work of Liv Boeree, Yuval Harari and Jonathan Haidt, González uses his vocals and acoustic-based song craft to explore these ideas.

“As a concerned world citizen, I wrote these songs as a reflection of our times. Times of amazing progress, but also worrying backslides to dogmatic tribal ideologies and an extremely uncertain future. These are songs about how we can navigate humanity towards flourishing on an individual and a collective level. They can be listened to just for the sounds, harmonies, and rhythms, but the lyrics are meant to inspire people to engage and take action by collaborating to solve collective problems. For humanism and enlightenment values and against the dying of the light.”

-José González

To support the themes of the album, José González made a public commitment to donate 10% of his income to effective charities fighting extreme poverty via Giving What We Can, raising over $175,000 alongside members of his Pledge Club. To get involved, visit givewithjose.com.

Following the release of Against The Dying Of The Light, the singer will hop on a headlining tour across the States in April and May. More information about the dates and tickets can be found here.

JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ

AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

(Mute Records - US/Canada; City Slang – ROW

under license from Imperial Recordings)

Release Date: Friday, March 27, 2026

Tracklist:

A Perfect Storm

Etyd

Against The Dying Of The Light

For Every Dusk

Sheet

Pajarito