WILL JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ GET EATEN BY AI IN NEW ‘LOSING GAME (SICK)’ VIDEO? & TOUR DATES

“The process of coming to terms with reality without losing hope is easier said than done. Thankfully, Against the Dying of the Light provides the right mix of stirring calls to action, with acoustic guitar and moments of meditation to make the years-long process a little less daunting.”– Pitchfork

“The singer-songwriter’s ambitious new record blends heady, wide-ranging subject matter with gorgeously atmospheric, guitar-focused arrangements…Ultimately, Against the Dying of the Light succeeds as a whole because it’s so layered, offering aesthetic beauty and room-filling atmosphere on the surface and tangled concepts to wrestle with the deeper you go. These are qualities that Mr. González has been combining in his music all along, but perhaps never as effectively as he does here.”
– Wall Street Journal

“While the subject matter is equally heavy and heady, González also presents his art with the effervescent, seductive sound that is the strongest through line in his career… at a harrowing time across the world, he also gifts us with a ray of hope.”
– Flood

“Against the Dying of the Light is perhaps González’s most passionate and challenging song cycle.” – Glide

José González has shared the official music video for ‘Losing Game (Sick),’ one of the many highlights found on his acclaimed new album, Against the Dying of the Light, available now via Mute in North America and City Slang in the rest of the world. Directed by Bine Bach for Scandinavia-based production company Bacon – in accordance with The Bacon Code of Conduct for AI – the provocatively satirical video is streaming now on YouTube. WATCH ‘LOSING GAME (SICK)’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

“How did we end up making a video with robot monsters eating humans?” José González reflects. “It started when I approached Mads Damsbo to make a video for ‘A Perfect Storm.’ He and his team had a listen to my ideas and came back with a counter-suggestion. I liked the idea so much that we ended up doing both videos: one with Mads directing the ‘bus falling off a cliff into the storm’ video and one with Bine Bach directing the ‘robots eating humans’ video. One serious in black and white and one comical splatter.

“‘Losing Game (Sick)’ is about humanity asking what happened after we’ve lost control to AI’s and robots. It’s a sincere concern, but it felt right to approach the topic with humor. None of the experts I’ve heard talk about this topic envision a scenario where the robots and AI’s ask which humans taste best. But if they do, I’m sure they will love the taste of the cheesy and pretentious singer-songwriter.”

“José has made a beautiful album about the complicated theme of humanity and technology and how we need to be careful before it starts to ‘swallow’ us,” says director Bine Bach. “To make a point, he wanted to use AI in the creative process. As this is an approach that stirs up a ton of ideas and, understandably, a ton of conflicting emotions, we had to be smart about making something dumb.

“After a bunch of ideas, I came up with the concept of being eaten by AI as that fits the theme of the song and I could see a comedic angle mixing robots and something as mundane as a focus group. We took that idea and brought it to life through a mix of live-action footage and AI-driven animation. It was a demanding and at times uncontrollable process.

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González is currently traveling the world on an international headline tour celebrating the recent arrival of Against the Dying of the Light, with North American dates beginning September 11 at Montreal, QC’s MTELUS and then continuing through the month. Highlights include a very special show at Los Angeles, CA’s renowned Hollywood Bowl supporting Gregory Alan Isakov with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra on September 20. For complete details and ticket information, please visit jose-gonzalez.com/tour-dates.

González’s fifth studio LP and first new collection of original songs in more than four years, Against The Dying Of The Light – which follows, and in many ways serves as a sister volume to, 2021’s acclaimed Local Valley – sees the Gothenburg, Sweden-based singer-songwriter and guitarist once again commenting on humanity and its uncertain future through the power of his distinctively engaging, deeply contemplative, acoustic-based songcraft. Inspired by the forward-thinking work of Jonathan Haidt, Liv Boeree, Yuval Harari, and Steven Pinker, González presents a wide-ranging collection of nuanced songs that explore big ideas with clarity and intention. The album explores topics such as game theory, moral philosophy, and the narratives we use to explain our world. González also confronts the ethical ambiguity of modern technology, which drives progress while simultaneously challenging our sense of humanity. These themes are delivered with warmth and immediacy through his intuitive vocals and singularly inventive finger-picking guitar.

Against The Dying Of The Light includes the dynamic single, ‘A Perfect Storm,’ available everywhere now. The track, which sees González warning against what many AI experts describe as a “race to lose control,” is accompanied by an immersive, intentionally confrontational new visual that utilizes AI to further the dialogue on the complicated debate over its applications in society. An exclusive YouTube Afterparty followed the premiere of ‘A Perfect Storm,’ featuring a 15-minute discussion between González and producer Mads Damsbo on the making of the video as well as their thoughts on AI and its place at the intersection of art and science.

WATCH ‘YOU & WE’ LYRIC VIDEO

WATCH ‘AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

WATCH ‘PAJARITO’ OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

WATCH ‘PAJARITO’ HOME VIDEO

Further highlights include the soulful ‘You & We’ as well as the dynamic title track, ‘Against the Dying of the Light,’ the latter joined by an official music video, directed by filmmaker Fredrik Egerstrand (known for 2010’s award-winning documentary, The Extraordinary Ordinary Life of José González) and streaming now on YouTube. González’s lighter side is represented by the album’s carefree, Spanish-language first single, ‘Pajarito,’ dedicated to his son, Mateo, and joined by a playful official music video inspired by the interaction of Swedish folk art with artificial intelligence.

“Against The Dying Of The Light is a collection of songs reflecting on humanity,” says González. “Who we are – tribes of sentient apes with stories that sometimes are incompatible with each other and tools that could eventually lead to dystopia or extinction. It’s also a reflection of how we create hurdles to human flourishing by stubbornly clinging to dogmatic ideologies, where people follow dudes who pretend to know shit they don’t.

“As a concerned world citizen, I wrote these songs as a reflection of our times. Times of amazing progress, but also worrying backslides to dogmatic tribal ideologies and an extremely uncertain future. These are songs about how we can navigate humanity towards flourishing on an individual and a collective level. They can be listened to just for the sounds, harmonies, and rhythms, but the lyrics are meant to inspire people to engage and take action by collaborating to solve collective problems. For humanism and enlightenment values and against the dying of the light.”

González recently took the 10% Pledge, a public commitment to give 10% of his income to effective charities fighting extreme poverty via Giving What We Can. Members of his Pledge Club have thus far donated over $450,000 to Against Malaria Foundation and other highly effective charities as listed by Giving What We Can. For more information or to request an invitation to González’s Pledge Club, please visit givewithjose.com.

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JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ – TOUR 2026/2027

MAY
25 – Münster, Germany – Theater Münster
26 – Dresden, Germany – Beatpol
27 – Hamburg, Germany – Mojo Club

JUNE
14 – Stockholm, Sweden – Rosendal Garden Party †
JULY
3 – Gent, Belgium – Gent Jazz †
8 – Bilbao, Spain – Museo Guggenheim Bilbao (SOLD OUT)
9 – Huesca, Spain – Pirineos Sur †
10 – A Coruña, Spain – Palacio de la Opera
11 – Feldkirch, Austria – Poolbar
17 – Göteborg, Sweden – Slakthuset Block Party †
25 – Kapolcs, Hungary – Valley of the Arts †
26 – Neston Park, United Kingdom – WOMAD Festival †
29 – Madrid, Spain – Teatro Real

AUGUST
21-23 – Biddinghuizen, NL – Lowlands †
23 – Mallorca, Spain – Es Jardi
28 – Rättvik, Sweden – Dalhalla
29 – Malmö, Sweden – Folkets Park Malmö

SEPTEMBER
11 – Montreal, QC – MTELUS
12 – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall
13 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre
15 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre
17 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Tucson Theatre
18 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center
19 – San Diego, CA – UCSD Epstein Family Amphitheatre
20 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl *
22 – Reno, NV – Artown
23 – Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery
24 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24
25 – Napa, CA – Uptown Theatre
26 – Santa Barbara, CA – UCSB Campbell Hall

OCTOBER
10 – Düsseldorf, Germany – New Fall Festival @ Henkel Hall
28 – Barcelona, Spain – Paral-lel 62
29 – Valencia, Spain – La Rambleta
30 – Murcia, Spain – Sala Mamba!
31 – Sevilla, Spain – Cartuja Center CITE

NOVEMBER
1 – Lisboa, Portugal – Coliseu dos Recreios
2 – Porto, Portugal – Ageas Porto Coliseum
14 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
15 – Zurich, Switzerland – Volkshaus
17 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
18 – München, Germany – Mufatthalle
19 – Prague, Czech Republic – ARCHA +
20 – Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle
21 – Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom
23 – Utrecht, Netherlands – TivoliVredenburg Ronda
24 – Paris, France – Le Trianon
25 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
26 – London, United Kingdom – Eventim Apollo

JANUARY 2027
27 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
28 – Gateshead, United Kingdom – The Glasshouse
29 – Manchester, United Kingdom – New Century Hall
30 – Brighton, United Kingdom – Dome Concert Hall
31 – Bristol, United Kingdom – Bristol Beacon

* w/ Gregory Alan Isakov with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
† Festival Appearance