Ever since they reunited for a series of performances in 2009, Blur have been teasing us with talk of a new album that would only happen if all the stars aligned and their fans mentioned it in their prayers every night (or something). But in the three years that followed, they only released one new song, the 2010 Record Store Day single “Fool’s Day.”
All that will change next Monday, July 2nd, when the band will play “Under the Westway” and “The Puritan” live from what NME refers to as a “secret UK location” and stream their performance of the new tracks via Twitter. The broadcast will take place at 1:15 pm ET and comes in advance of Blur’s August 12th Hyde Park concert, which closes out London’s 2012 Summer Olympics. Those looking to own the songs should watch for the limited-edition double A-side single due out August 6th. Meanwhile, the massive, career-spanning box set Blur 21 hits stores June 30th. Watch a teaser clip for the new material, narrated by bassist Alex James, who says the songs “show two completely different sides of Blur,” after the jump.