.
.
BLANCMANGE
announce details of a new album
and a return to
LONDON RECORDS
‘PRIVATE VIEW’
out 30 September 2022
+ Release new single
‘SOME TIMES THESE’
.
.
Blancmange are delighted to announce details of a new album, ‘Private View’, and a return to the label that released the band’s debut album, London Records.
‘Private View’ is out on vinyl, CD and digitally on 30 September 2022. Pre-orders are available Here
Distinctly Blancmange, while simultaneously expanding into new sonic terrain, the album launches today with the release of the first single ‘Some Times These’, a hook-heavy piece of electronic art-pop that combines Neil Arthur’s vocals with David Rhodes’ guitar and washes of immersive synths. Some Times These’ is out now and available Here
.
.
Across the album, there’s a deft marriage of futuristic electronic sounds, Arthur’s unmistakable vocal hooks, and songs that veer from buoyant and joyful to dark and brooding. Benge returns as a key collaborator, and David Rhodes (Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Scott Walker) returns as the guitarist, having previously performed with the band on 1982’s ‘Happy Families’ (as well as several other Blancmange albums).
‘Private View’ is set for release on London Records almost exactly 40 years to the day since they released their debut ‘Happy Families’ and this neat full circle of Blancmange re-signing to the same label that ignited things all those years ago is also reflected in the album itself, being the perfect crystallisation of four decades of creativity.
In their post-punk early days, Blancmange made tape loops and experimental sounds with kitchen utensils, before developing into one of the definitive chart-topping British electronic pop acts. Since reforming in 2011 (Luscombe had to leave shortly after for health reasons) Arthur has harnessed a duality of experimentation and seamless pop melody to release a staggering 10 albums in the last decade. ‘I don’t know whether I’m on a roll, but I feel something in me has been released,’ he says. ‘I used to hold back and I didn’t trust myself. While I’m still full of self-doubt I’m now quite comfortable with it. This is it. We’ve only got one time around the block, so make the most of it.’
The past is used as a trigger to create new ideas – one track, ‘Here We Go Go’, has been in Arthur’s head since 1980 – and build fresh momentum, not as somewhere to linger. ‘A lot of people are frightened of the future and are quite happy to have a repeat of something that was done before,’ he says. ‘But it’s just not for me. Looking forward you’ve got a hell of a world to try and navigate through at the moment. We’re all moving forward – so we’ve got to try and find some answers.’
This sense of perpetual forward motion that drives Blancmange is also reflected in the ongoing influence the music has on generations of artists and fans. Contemporary electronic producers like Honey Dijon and Roman Flügel have paid tribute with remixes, while John Grant continues to profess his love for Arthur’s music, old and new, and has invited Blancmange to perform as part of Grace Jones’ Meltdown Festival in June. An extensive UK tour throughout October, November and December will follow the Meltdown date, with a London show at the Islington Assembly Hall on December 9. Full tour details Here
‘Private View’ is a record that manages to capture an artist who is potently in the moment when it comes to creating new work, while also being able to draw on 40 years’ worth of knowledge, experience, and built-in intuition. ‘I’m really lucky to be able to make the music completely on my own terms,’ Arthur says. ‘Within myself there are no limits, there’s a massive palette inside and I will try anything.’
.
Blancmange ‘Some Times These’ is out now and available Here
Blancmange ‘Private View’
is out on vinyl, CD and digitally on 30 September 2022. Pre-orders are available Here
‘Private View’
Track listing:
What’s Your Name
Some Times These
Reduced Voltage
Here We Go Go
Chairs
Who Am I
Everything Is Connected
I Tried To Be You
Private View
Take Me
.
.
Follow BLANCMANGE
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
London Records
.
AMNPLIFY – DB
CLICK THE PIC TO VIEW THE NEWS
My nickname is “The Amnplifier”. Why? Because around here my focus is on being a conduit for providing greater outcomes that people come here for. My day to day “work” is living in the moment, and I love helping others concentrate on finding their connection to themselves through their experiences.
Why start a music environment? The truth is I love music, I love writing, and I love life. I work with musicians every day, and I feel certain that I will be until they put me in the ground. I have been managing people in businesses of some sort for over thirty five years so along the way I have developed some “wisdom” from my regular and constant “observations”.
Amnplify your experience. That is what we want you to do here, and if you want to let me know why you do, or don’t, shoot me a message on Facebook.
Hope you enjoy yourself here and find something that hits you somewhere.
