Suede Prep New LP, ‘The Blue Hour’
Suede will release their eighth studio album, The Blue Hour, on September 21st. The Alan Moulder-produced LP marks the final installment of a trilogy (following 2013’s Bloodsports and 2016’s Night Thoughts) since their 2010 reunion.
In a mysterious statement about the album, the British alt-rock band noted that the title references “the time of day when the light is fading and night is closing in.” They also teased the record as “progressive” and “expansive,” adding, “The songs hint at a narrative but never quite reveal it and never quite explain. But as with any Suede album, it’s always about the songwriting. The band, the passion and the noise: ‘The Blue Hour.'”
A trailer for the LP features droning noise and choral-styled vocals, but frontman Brett Anderson insisted to NME that their new songs are rooted in traditional songwriting. “I don’t think anyone wants to hear a Suede ambient album,” he said. “This isn’t.”
Anderson also called the album more “complicated” and “diverse” than the band’s last two. “It’s quite a journey,” he said. “There are a lot of elements that we haven’t used before, like a choir and more spoken word and dialogue. There are a lot of field recordings on it too to thread the ideas together.”
In March, Suede issued a 25th anniversary box set celebrating their self-titled debut LP. That same month, Anderson released a memoir, Coal Black Mornings.
The Blue Hour Track List
1. “As One”
2. “Wastelands”
3. “Mistress”
4. “Beyond The Outskirts”
5. “Chalk Circles”
6. “Cold Hands”
7. “Life Is Golden”
8. “Roadkill”
9. “Tides”
10. “Don’t Be Afraid If Nobody Loves You”
11. “Dead Bird”
12. “All The Wild Places”
13. “The Invisibles”
14. “Flytipping”