James Murphy says LCD Soundsystem are on "full hiatus"

15 July 2021, 17:58

The New York collective have been put on ice for the time being... again.

James Murphy has admitted that LCD Soundsystem have gone "on full hiatus".

The electronic rock outfit from New York has been quite since the album Electric Lady Sessions came out in 2019, and their last live performance was in June 2018.

Now the 51-year-old musician has admitted they have no post-pandemic plans in the calendar.

Appearing to Marc Maron on his WTF podcast, Murphy addressed the possibility of any live shows and said: "We’re not rehearsing. We’ll figure something out when the time is right.

“Right now, we’re on a full hiatus. Because of the nature of the band, when we’re not touring, we’re just, like, back to normal life completely... Everyone does other stuff.

"Everyone has their own things going on. So for us to put [a new album] together, we just kind of have to decide to do it.”

But Murphy remains adamant that he doesn't "want to go out [on tour] without new music".

LCD Soundsystem previously "split", performing a high profile "final show" at New York's Madison Square Garden in April 2011. The outfit returned in December 2015 with the single Christmas Will Break Your Heart, performing at the 2016 Lollapalooza Festival, T In The Park and more.

LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (T In The Park 2016)

Meanwhile, the musician also revealed that he ended up "talking himself out of a job" while he was working on David Bowie's final album, Blackstar.

He explained: "When I walk in, I see David sitting in his chair and the rest of the band are in the other room playing... I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.

"I was struggling to find my way into this already-moving machine… I’m like: ‘Oh, excuse me while I insert myself…

"Oh hey guys, have you considered hearing what this f****** guy thinks? Maybe you’ve heard my songs?’ "

In the end, Murphy made the tough decision to take a step back.

Recalling his conversation with Bowie, he said: "‘Look man, I think I need to take these things to my studio and work on these things myself – that’s the instrument I play’.

“It wasn’t a good fit and it broke my heart. I had to leave: I kind of talked myself out of a job. I don’t have that gene, man.”