The return of the British synthetic pop band, Years & Years, is finally upon us. Not only did the trio release a brand new single, but fans were gifted with a cinematic music video. This new music video hints at what new music is to come as well as poses at a smaller puzzle piece for us to solve in the near future.
Years & Years primarily built up their popularity from their successful debut album, Communion, back in 2015. Their first album debuted at number one on the United Kingdom’s music charts and collectively sold over 1.5 million copies. Because of this, Years & Years scored four platinum singles and were nominated for five BRIT Award nominations.
While their long awaited, untitled second album is on the rise, fans can get a taste of what’s to come with “Sanctify.” We are introduced to the fantasy city of Palo Santo, a utopian city that is populated by androids. Even though this universe has been overrun by cyborgs, a few humans, including the band’s lead singer Olly Alexander, are still living. We see Olly get abducted by these androids and taken through the a city full of red, white, black, and gold. All eyes turn to Olly as he is sentenced to entertain what looks like the royalty of Palo Santo, while also being televised for other androids to watch at home.
“Sanctify” is our first glimpse of what this new era of Years & Years will bring. According to the band, the songs and stories connected to this parallel dystopia explore identity, sexuality, and celebrity. “[Sanctify] is the first part of a bigger jigsaw puzzle,” Olly Alexander explains, “we’ve deliberately hidden lots of different meanings and I want people to come up with their own interpretations.”
We are super excited to hear Years & Years’ upcoming music as well as watch the sci-fi story of Palo Santo unfold.