Bloc Party release new single "Now We Can’t Be Friends" and announce UK record store tour

"Now We Can't Be Friends" follows previous singles "Coming On Strong" and "Love Bombs" as the third taster of a collection of songs which follow singer Kele Okereke as he endures the end of a romantic relationship, before unexpectedly finding new love again. The track is described as the point in the album where the heart breaks, and while Okereke finds himself back on the club dancefloor, he won't be talking to his ex when he sees him. "You can have these big feelings, but you have to be aware that when they go, this is how you'll feel and, you'll be okay with that," Okereke says.

Alongside the new single, Bloc Party have revealed a series of record store shows kicking off just ahead of the album's release. The intimate run of shows will begin on 9 September at The Mets in Bury, followed by Circuit via Banquet Records in Kingston (10 September), Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool (11 September), Palais via Rough Trade in Nottingham (13 September), Rough Trade Bristol (14 September), and Rough Trade East in London (15 September), before concluding at Stylus via Crash at Leeds University (17 September).