Is there reasons to believe that Science Agrees release date could be postponed once again, or that the album could never see the light of day? (or at least be released digitally only)

A question worth asking as a fan who lives in Canada caught our attention on an email she received from Amazon.ca to let her know that her Science Agrees vinyl preorder was cancelled because they “expected to be able to send this item to [her]” but they “since found out it’s not available from any of [their] sources at this time“.

Quite a worrying message, especially now the D.A.R.K. European tour has been cancelled (and not postponed) a couple of days ago.

Although PledgeMusic has FINALLY updated the release date to September 9th on their website, let’s recall that fans who preorder the album/vinyl on their platform are made aware that the items should be ready on “October 21st”. Also, Amazon.com states that the album (CD and Vinyl) will be released on October 14th.

Whatever is happening here, we feel sorry for the band as these numerous postponements and cancellations must be quite a disappointment for them.

Let’s note that, on the journalists side, it seems some more promo CDs have been sent recently to the media for them to review the album in their September issues.
Indeed, as shown by the below pictures of two CDs that were sold on eBay recently, Cooking Vinyl pressed a new version of the album.

1st promo CD released in April 2016 (COOKCD642W):

2nd promo CD released in August 2016 (COOKCD642P):

As a matter of fact, first reviews are being published these days, such as the tough one published on Slug Magazine or that of Pitchfork.

Special thanks to Andrea.

Some members of our team just noticed that tickets for the Parisian concert of D.A.R.K. on September 22nd are not available for sale anymore at the moment, which could be a very nice surprise if that meant the concert was now sold out.

However, let’s note that, when trying to buy tickets on GDP, buyers are not told that the concert is sold out but that “there was a problem with the reservation”.
Fnac, on its side, mention that “tickets are no longer available…”

What’s more intriguing is that the band was still pushing the date on social media two days ago with a new video promoting the performance at Divan du Monde, which usually tends to show that the venue is far from selling out.

Although all other dates are still on sale, it seems the same “problem” can be noted with the Italian date due to take place on September 23rd at Tunnel Club in Milano.
Indeed, if one tries to buy tickets on Live Nation, the following message appears:

TICKETS CANCELLED

Currently No Tickets Available
Check back again soon for exclusive access to tickets!

This is definitely not a good sign as none of these concerts seemed close to selling out lately.
Let’s remember Dolores recently had to cancel four dates with The Cranberries lately due to health problems.

We fear another postponement/cancellation would deal severe blow to the D.A.R.K. project 🙁

UPDATE 1PM (CET): TOUR IS OFFICIALLY CANCELLED – NOT POSTPONED

Thanks to Cordell who confirmed a moment ago he/she received a mail from Fnac to confirm that the Paris date would not take place.

We also just received an email from Cyprus Avenue, Cork, to let us know that tickets bought for the D.A.R.K. concert were refunded.

Here is the official statement:

DARK have unfortunately been forced to cancel their European tour including their Cork date scheduled for Sept 17th. Refunds available from point of purchase. Statement from the band: ‘We are really sorry that we have to cancel these shows. Unfortunately Dolores has suffered an acute back injury. An MRI scan confirmed she has a bulging disc which causes extreme pain which has meant that she has not been able to fulfil several engagements in the last couple of weeks. We had hoped that with treatment and rest she would be recovered for this tour. Sadly this is not the case and the doctors have now advised full rest for at least the next month to ensure that her condition does not become more serious. Apologies for the inconvenience that this causes, it’s simply impossible to go ahead with the tour.’

Same message for the show in London, Bush Hall.

UPDATE 1:35 PM (CET): Official statement for Milano:

Live Nation Italia è spiacente di comunicare che il concerto dei D.A.R.K. in programma il 23 settembre è annullato.

I biglietti già acquistati potranno essere rimborsati presso i punti vendita di acquisto entro il 30 ottobre 2016. Per i biglietti acquistati online TicketOne manderà una e-mail con tutti i dettagli a tutti gli acquirenti.

La band ha emesso un comunicato ufficiale: “Siamo davvero dispiaciuti di cancellare il tour. Purtroppo Dolores ha subito un infortunio alla schiena. La risonanza magnetica ha confermato la presenza di una ‘protrusione discale’, che provoca un fortissimo dolore. Motivo per il quale Dolores non è stata in grado di mantenere diversi impegni nelle ultime due settimane. Speravamo con tutto il cuore che con terapia e riposo si riprendesse in tempo per il tour, ma purtroppo non è successo, e i dottori le hanno consigliato riposo totale per almeno un altro mese, per far sì che le sue condizioni non diventino più serie. Ci scusiamo per il disagio causato, ma è davvero impossibile intraprendere un tour in questo momento”.

UPDATE 1:55 PM (CET):

Limerick show at Dolan’s Warehouse now officially cancelled, same statement as the others.

UPDATE 2:20 PM (CET):

The Whelan’s webiste just marked the Dublin show as cancelled and the Doctor Music’s website did the same for the show in Madrid at Caracol

FOR NOW ALL THE SHOWS BUT BERLIN, GERMANY ARE OFFICIALLY MARKED AS CANCELLED.

UPDATE 2:45 PM (CET):

Doctor Music‘s official statement for Madrid:

D.A.R.K. cancela su gira en España por problemas de salud
Jueves, 1 septiembre 2016
Compártelo:
El importe de las entradas se puede recuperar en los mismos puntos de venta donde fueron adquiridas
Doctor Music lamenta profundamente tener que informar de la cancelación del concierto de D.A.R.K previsto para el próximo 27 de septiembre en la sala Caracol de Madrid.

Como la propia banda ha comunicado: “Desafortunadamente, Dolores ha sufrido una lesión aguda en la espalda. Una resonancia magnética ha confirmado una importante protrusión discal, lo que le está causando un dolor extremo que le ha impedido cumplir con sus compromisos profesionales en estas últimas semanas. Teníamos la esperanza de que con un tratamiento adecuado y reposo pudiera reponerse y poder seguir adelante con este tour. Lamentablemente, esto no ha sido así y los doctores le han prescrito reposo absoluto durante al menos todo el mes para evitar que su situación empeore. Pedimos disculpas por las molestias causadas, pero es imposible seguir hacia delante con este gira.”

El importe de las entradas para el concierto de Madrid se puede recuperar en los mismos puntos de venta donde fueron adquiridas. Así mismo, las entradas de venta online se reembolsarán automáticamente.

UPDATE 5:58 PM (CET):

GPD, producer of the Paris show, just sent the following email both in French and English:

Bonjour,
Le concert de D.A.R.K. prévu le 22 Septembre 2016 prochain au Divan du Monde est malheureusement annulé.
Vous trouverez ci-dessous les modalités de remboursement:

• Billets à retirer au guichet: Merci de nous envoyer par e-mail votre n° de commande et votre adresse complète.

Le remboursement se fera par chèque sous 2 à 3 semaines.
Si vous souhaitez être remboursé plus rapidement, vous pouvez également nous joindre au 01.43.12.53.45, et nous communiquer les numéros et la date d’expiration de votre carte bancaire pour un remboursement immédiat.

• Billets reçus par courrier: Merci de nous renvoyer vos billets à l’adresse indiquée en signature du mail en nous précisant votre adresse complète.

Le remboursement se fera par chèque sous 2 à 3 semaines.
La date limite de remboursement est fixée au : jeudi 1^er décembre 2016
(Après cette date, il ne sera plus possible de demander le remboursement de vos billets)

Merci et bonne fin de journée,
Bien cordialement,

 

 

 

Dear Customer,
D.A.R.K.’s concert at the Divan du Monde in Paris on September 22th 2016 is unfortunately cancelled.
You will find the refund information below:

–          Will-call tickets: Please send us your order number by e-mail together with your credit card number and expiration date only (no security code needed for refunds). We will refund you within 2 to 3 business days.

• Tickets received by mail or DHL : please send us your tickets by mail at our address hereunder together with your bank account information. We will refund you by bank transfer within 2 to 3 weeks.

Please note the refunds will be closed after Thursday December 1^st 2016
(no refunds after this date)

Thank you very much, kind regards

UPDATE 6:45 PM (CET):

And last but not least, the band just published on their website and Facebook the following message:

*** D.A.R.K. EUROPEAN TOUR CANCELLATION ***
We are really sorry that we have to cancel these shows.
Unfortunately Dolores has suffered a acute back injury. An MRI scan confirmed she has a bulging disc which causes extreme pain which has meant that she has not been able to fulfil several engagements in the last couple of weeks. We had hoped that with treatment and rest she would be recovered for this tour. Sadly this is not the case and the doctors have now advised full rest for at least the next month to ensure that her condition does not become more serious.
Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience that this causes, it’s simply impossible to go ahead with the tour. Ticket refunds are available from point of purchase
Shows cancelled:
16.09.16 Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick
17.09.16 Cypress Avenue, Cork
19.09.16 Whelan’s, Dublin
21.09.16 Bush Hall, London
22.09.16 Divan du Monde, Paris
23.09.16 Tunnel, Milan
25.09.16 Lido, Berlin
27.09.16 Caracol, Madrid
D.A.R.K.

Did digital platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer & co get “Science Agrees” release date wrong?

It seems something tricky is happening as the album was just taken down from iTunes music a couple of hours ago, now followed by Apple Music!!!
Could it be that these platforms were not informed that the release date was pushed back? This is a possibility, we’ll see in the following hours if the album remains available on other streaming platforms (Deezer, Spotify…)

If you want to get your hands on it before September 9th, make it fast cause you might not be able to buy it in the upcoming hours/days!!!

Whatever is happening, there’s definitely a mess surrounding this release which was already postponed twice since May 27th…
As mentioned in our previous post, Pledge Music is now announcing that people who preordered the signed CD/LP on their website should expect it to be delivered on October 21st!!!
Last, Amazon.com now mentions a digital release on August 19th and a physical release on October 14th, see below screencap:

What the hell is happening?
Would the band fail to mention the digital album release today whereas they keep on promoting the upcoming Irish shows?

Thanks to Cranberryesque for drawing our attention on Amazon’s new release date

UPDATE AUGUST 20:
The album has now been removed from Spotify & Deezer too!

Surprising news but definitely real: “Science Agrees” is now available on digital platforms!

Indeed, fans first believed earlier today that the album had leaked, but it appears that it is actually available for digital download on iTunes Russia already, same goes for iTunes Australia as it’s already August 19th there!

As a reminder, the release date was first set to May 27th, postponed to August 19th and then postponed again to September 9th. It seems September 9th will thus be the date of the physical release.

The Cranberries World team has already started working on the lyrics, feel free to help us correcting/completing them in our discography 🙂  (if you have any suggestions => “Leave a Reply” below)

As you might know, a demo version of the album had leaked on April 26th in a very private sphere. Some members of our team who are in possession of this version will compare as soon as possible both albums to see if there are major differences such as that we spotted on Gunfight. We will keep you updated on that but can definitely note for the moment that the tracklist is unchanged!

BUY IT AND ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS WE DO!

PS: Thanks to our friends at Cranberries Mexico who were the first to notice the “leak” in the afternoon

UPDATE AUGUST 19:
Although we mentioned last night that September 9th would probably be the date of release of the physical version of the album, it seems we were wrong as Pledge Music updated their website this morning stating that the CD and LP are now available but when clicking on their button it still says pre-order (weird!)
What’s even weirder is that the “expected fulfillment date” mentioned for those who pre-ordered signed album & LP is now set to October 21st!!! How disappointing when you’re among the first ones to preorder the album…

So rare it has to be shared!!!
Dolores took her first ever selfie today and posted it on her Facebook account with the following words:

Hello Facebook!!
This is my first selfie….ever!
I got a few days off from The Cranberries tour so I thought I’d give Facebook a crack…. It’s great to be back on the road with Mike, Noel and Ferg and I’m really looking forward to the September DARK tour with Andy and Ole. New DARK songs are here: https://DARK.lnk.to/SA
Sending you all my love…Dolores xo

On the other hand and following the news about Science Agrees new release date and Gunfight‘s availability on streaming platforms, the fansite Cranberryesque discovered on Spotify that the song had its own artwork:

What a day!!

As you may know, the third track of Science Agrees, Gunfight, was officially released today as a free download for fans who had preordered the album on Pledge Music.
Like many, we enthusiastically waited for midnight to give this track a listen and found out that mix and lyrics actually differ from the 30-second-extract of the song that was published on Shazam mid may!

Indeed, what we will now call an alternative version featured the following line:

“This love life is doing me harm”

whereas we can obviously hear the below words on the official release today:

“This love life, lost in your arms”

This interesting change leads us to ponder over the reason that triggered two postponements of the album release date: has the album undergone changes since?

We believe it’s worth considering such theory, especially as, as noted recently, two unknown tracks which are NOT part of the tracklist that was revealed in May have been used by the band in videos made to promote the upcoming European shows.

Are we to expect a new tracklist and different versions of the songs that were sent to journalists in May?
Time will tell, but this is definitely exciting!

EDIT: SEP.09, 2016
Lyrics above were just an attempt before the album was officially released. Now the album is out and the official lyrics say: “You know I can’t sleep” and not “Now”