Watch Bloc Party Channel ‘The Love Within’ on ‘Seth Meyers’
Bloc Party delivered a sleek version of their “hippie-ish” single “The Love Within” Tuesday on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Frontman Kele Okereke, decked out in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, crooned lyrics like, “The love within is moving upwards, sweeter than any drug” over Russell Lissack’s dissonant synthesizer and the disco-rock pulse of new rhythm section Justin Harris (bass) and Louise Bartle (drums).
“The Love Within” is the lead single from the indie-rock band’s fifth LP (and first since 2012), Hymns, which was released in January. Okereke recently spoke to Rolling Stone about the song’s rapturous lyrical themes while unveiling its playful music video.
“I guess it’s about embracing feelings of joy and being connected,” he said. “I think it’s ultimately about trying to explain that feeling of rapture and joy that comes with being in love with the world or universe. It sounds quite hippie-ish when I say it like that, but I was reading from [William Blake’s] collection Songs of Innocence. Something struck a chord with me, this idea of being connected to the earth and nature. The idea of sublime connectivity to the world that is around — that’s the idea that stuck with me.
“How do I describe this transcendent feeling of joy that can come from surrendering yourself to a higher power?” he continued. “In the vaguest, most hippie-ish terms, that’s really what this song is about. It’s about being in love with the stars, the earth and nature.”
Bloc Party are currently touring the U.S. Their next show is Wednesday, March 16th at New York City’s Irving Plaza.