Polish prog rock band Riverside have unveiled the single edit for their new single “Friend or Foe?”

An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Thomas Hicks (Jethro Tull, Klone) which is available to view below.

Riverside vocalist Mariusz Duda said this about the new song:

“"’Friend or Foe?’ is one of the key songs on the new RIVERSIDE album. Not only is it the opening track but, musically, it is possibly also the most courageous and intriguing one.

One of its strong points is the lyrics which talk about how we're perceived by others, especially these days, when pretending to be someone you're not on social media has become the norm. Can we still be ourselves or do we have to keep adapting to the requirements of new algorithms? Perhaps we've already lost our identities and we're only waiting for instructions from a Siri or Alexa?

"Who do you pretend to be?" are the first words of the song and the listener has already started searching for that 80s band it reminds them of. Is this a mere inspiration or is it provocation? Is the writer of the song pretending to be someone else or is this who he really is? Who is behind it all? The artist himself or a producer churning out music for many other artists? Is what I'm writing now a reflection of what I'm feeling or am I writing it because I want to put the song on a higher recommended playlist? And if we apply it to politics, who are the candidates? Are they credible? Trustworthy? Will they keep their promises? And finally, will we be able to trust each other one day, hear each other out and understand, or will we still keep our distance and suspicions?

Perhaps there is a chance to build a better world, but how to recognise who is a friend and who is a foe?””

“Friend or Foe?” comes from Riverside’s forthcoming studio album ID.Entity, which will be released on January 20 via InsideOutMusic. Pre-orders for the album can be made here.

Riverside will be touring North America in February and March with The Cyberiam Duo followed by a spring trek across Europe in April. Tour dates can be seen below. Tickets are on sale to the general public right now.

Riverside tour dates

February 17, 2023 Tampa, FL - The Orpheum

February 18, 2023 Orlando, FL - The Abbey

February 19, 2023 Atlanta, GA - Hell At The Masquerade

February 21, 2023 Dallas, TX - Amplified Live

February 22, 2023 Austin, TX - Come And Take It Live

February 24, 2023 Mesa, AZ - The Nile Theater

February 25, 2023 Pomona, CA - The Glass House

February 26, 2023 Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone

February 28, 2023 Vancouver, BC - The Rickshaw Theatre

March 1, 2023 Seattle, WA - Neumos

March 3, 2023 Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room

March 4, 2023 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre

March 7, 2023 St. Paul, MN - Amsterdam Bar And Hall

March 8, 2023 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge

March 10, 2023 Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace

March 11, 2023 Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre

March 12, 2023 Quebec City, QC - Imperial Bell

March 14, 2023 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall

March 16, 2023 New York, NY - Sony Hall

March 17, 2023 Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts

March 18, 2023 Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Music Hall

March 19, 2023 Washington, DC - Black Cat

March 21, 2023 Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle

16.04.2023 Eindhoven (The Netherlands) - Effenaar / Prognosis Festival

18.04.2023 Dublin (Ireland) - Button Factory

20.04.2023 Glasgow (UK) - Garage

21.04.2023 Birmingham (UK) - O2 Institute 2

22.04.2023 Manchester (UK) - Academy 2

23.04.2023 London (UK) - Indigo O2 / Prognosis Festival

25.04.2023 Copenhagen (Denmark) - Amager Bio

26.04.2023 Gothenburg (Sweden) - Pustervik

27.04.2023 Oslo (Norway) - Cosmopolite

28.04.2023 Stockholm (Sweden) - Lilla Cirkus

30.04.2023 Tampere (Finland) - Olympia

01.05.2023 Helsinki (Finland) - Tavastia