Earlier this year, The Tubs announced their signing to Merge with an incredible cover of Metallica's “Fade to Black.” Today, they're back with word of their new album, Hard Life, accompanied by lead single “Who's Gonna Love You Now?” In addition, The Tubs have added a full run of North American dates to their expansive 2026 world tour! Listen to “Who's Gonna Love You Now?” wherever you stream music, pre-order Hard Life on CD, LP, and Peak Vinyl from the Merge store in the US or UK!

Having perfected their sound across two albums and hundreds of shows, the London-based Celtic jangle boyband — Owen Williams, Dan Lucas, Taylor Stewart, and Max Warren — push themselves even further into the shimmering heart of virtuosic indie rock on Hard Life. The Tubs persona familiar to listeners of Cotton Crown and Dead Meat — to quote Williams, “navel gazing about romantic abjection, London squalor, and the indignities of grief and OCD” — is present here, but so too is a second voice, steelier and more experienced. “The second persona doesn't have much time for the first, Williams explains, ”often haranguing him for his self-indulgence and immaturity; sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly."

It's the scold who takes center stage on lead single “Who's Gonna Love You Now?” His questions, from the titular one to more concrete concerns like “Who's gonna pay the rent?” exist in mocking opposition  to ideas like moving to the city and really starting to live. Though Williams plays the crank, the song is a raver, guitars ringing out over an organ-brightened horizon.

Of “Who's Gonna Love You Now?” Williams says: “This is a sort of Northern Soul, Royal Headache influenced pop number with organs. The lyrics are from my scold persona — it's a kind of anti-sexual freedom, pro-monogamy song. I sermonize that the other Owen will end up lonely and unhappy if he takes a grass is greener approach to life, moves to London and so on. I think the scold doesn't live in London. Whereas I and the classic Tubs persona do.”

Along with Hard Life, The Tubs have shared word of an extensive tour of North America, returning to some of their favorite cities, pubs, and fast food joints in the US and beyond. Tickets for these newly announced dates go on sale Friday, June 26, at 10am local time.

The Tubs on tour:
Aug 07 Brighton, UK – At the Edge of the Sea @ Concorde 2 (Supporting The Wedding Present)
Aug 20-23 Crickhowell, UK – Green Man Festival
Aug 29 Loxwood, Nr Billingshurst, UK – The Wake
Sep 21 Bristol, UK – Exchange
Sep 22 Cardiff, UK – Clwb Ifor Bach
Sep 24 Liverpool, UK – District
Sep 25 Glasgow, UK – Stereo
Sep 26 Manchester, UK – The Deaf Institute
Sep 27 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
Sep 29 Nottingham, UK – The Bodega
Sep 30 London, UK – Scala
Oct 01 Brighton, UK – Chalk
Oct 02 Southampton, UK – The Joiners
Oct 03 Norwich, UK – Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom
Oct 15 Kingston, NY – Tubby's
Oct 16 Medford, MA – Deep Cuts
Oct 17 Montreal, QC – L'Esco
Oct 18 Toronto, ON – The Garrison
Oct 19 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Oct 21 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Oct 22 Milwaukee, WI – X-Ray Arcade
Oct 23 Minneapolis, MN – Cloudland Theater
Oct 26 Seattle, WA – Baba Yaga
Oct 27 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Oct 29 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
Oct 30 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon
Oct 31 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
Nov 01 Phoenix, AZ – Linger Longer Lounge
Nov 03 Austin, TX – The 13th Floor
Nov 04 Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves
Nov 06 Atlanta, GA – The EARL
Nov 08 Carrboro, NC – Cat's Cradle Back Room
Nov 09 Washington, DC – Songbyrd
Nov 10 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda's
Nov 11 New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
Dec 04 Paris, FR – Le Chinois
Dec 06 Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso (Small Hall)
Dec 07 Bruges, BE – Cactus
Dec 08 Nijmegen, NL – Merleyn
Dec 09 Rotterdam, NL – V11
Dec 11 Cologne, DE – Artheater
Dec 12 Hamburg, DE – Nochtwache
Dec 13 Frankfurt, DE – Nachtleben
Dec 14 Munich, DE – Kranhalle
Dec 16 Berlin, DE – Kantine am Berghain