A Bold New Chapter: Pelican’s Ascending EP Lands January 23
Pelican photo credit Matt Darcy
Chicago rock band Pelican return with Ascending, a new four-song EP arriving January 23 via Run For Cover, available digitally and on 12” vinyl. Designed as both an extension of and companion piece to this year’s Flickering Resonance, the release compiles rare and previously unavailable material showcasing the band’s reinvigorated founding lineup—guitarists Laurent Schroeder-Lebec and Trevor Shelley de Brauw alongside brothers Bryan and Larry Herweg—captured in a period of renewed creative momentum.
Anchored by its expansive title track “Ascending,” a previously unheard composition from the Flickering Resonance sessions, the EP also features a special vocal rendition of album standout “Cascading Crescent,” performed by Geoff Rickly (Thursday / United Nations / No Devotion). Coinciding with today’s announcement, Pelican have released the track and an accompanying video built from live footage of the only performance the band and Rickly have ever delivered together. The collection is rounded out by “Adrift” and “Tending the Embers,” two songs originally recorded and self-released in 2024 as the earliest glimpses of what would evolve into Flickering Resonance. Taken as a whole, Ascending creates a full-circle moment—bookending the era and setting the stage for Pelican’s next chapter.
In celebration of both Flickering Resonance and the new EP, guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec has collaborated with Will Killingsworth of Dead Air Studios to design a custom guitar pedal inspired by the sonic character of Pelican’s recent output. The resulting unit, Resonance, reacts dynamically to the player’s touch and spans a tonal palette ranging from subtle echo to immersive ambience to self-oscillating chaos. The pedal, along with limited-edition vinyl variants and new merch designs, is available as part of the Ascending pre-order.
Following a landmark year of touring behind Flickering Resonance, Pelican have also expanded their 2025 tour schedule. In conjunction with today’s release, the group has added several new headline dates to their upcoming European run with Russian Circles in May. All confirmed tour dates appear below.
2026 tour dates
Feb 1 – Something In The Way – Boston, MA
Feb 28 – Doom City Festival – Mexico City, MX
May 5 – Kollektivet Livet – Stockholm, SE
May 6 – Monument – Gothenburg, SE
May 7 – Skraen – Aalburg, SE
May 8 – Desertfest – Oslo, NO *
May 9 – A Colossal Weekend – Copenhagen, DK *
May 11 – Gruenspan – Hamburg, DE *
May 12 – Live Music Hall – Köln, DE *
May 13 – P8 – Karlsruhe, DE *
May 14 – dunk!festival – Zottegem, BE *
May 15 – Sonic Whip – Nijmegen, NL *
May 16 – Desertfest – Berlin, DE *
May 18 – Arena – Vienna, AT *
May 19 – Durer Kert – Budapest, HUN
May 20 – MeetFactory – Prague, CZ *
May 21 – Technikum – Munich, DE *
May 23 – Sonic Rites – Helsinki, FI *
* supporting Russian Circles
Ascending cover artwork by Christian Degn
Ascending track list
1. Ascending
2. Cascading Crescent (feat. Geoff Rickly)
3. Adrift
4. Tending the Embers
Pre-save / Pre-order Ascending EP
https://pelicansong.lnk.to/ascending
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