Pnk Floyd have never truly pulled the shutters down on their time together.
A unified Live8 performance aside, the band have only released one album in 25 years, but each interview seemed to contain a sprinkling of hope that future activity could arise.
In the end it took a war of aggression to make Pink Floyd get back in the studio, with new single 'Hey, Hey, Rise Up!' aiming to raise money for those on the ground in Ukraine.
It's a creative work that exists its own sphere. The band's 2014 project 'The Endless River' was rooted in prior work, notably using tapes recorded for 1994's 'The Division Bell'.
As the decades pass, Pink Floyd have evolved as individuals, making this new single an intriguing is something unfocussed effort.
That spacious, cinematic glimmer remains, with Pink Floyd – David Gilmour and Nick Mason with bassist Guy Pratt and keyboardist Nitin Sawhney – reaching for connection.
Recorded on March 30th, 'Hey, Hey, Rise Up!' features vocals cribbed from Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Ukrainian band Boombox.
There's a common purpose at work here, and while 'Hey, Hey, Rise Up!' isn't a classic per se, it certainly deserves its spot as an addendum within Pink Floyd's wider catalogue.
David Gilmour notes…
“I hope it will receive wide support and publicity. We want to raise funds for humanitarian charities, and raise morale. We want express our support for Ukraine and in that way, show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become.”
Tune in now.
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