Soft Cell make fans cry – last album announced

Soft Cell called their last released record “Happiness Not Included”. That was in 2022. A lot happened after that, including Marc Almond’s band partner David Ball, who died last year at the age of 66.

With “Danceteria”, the synth-pop duo’s swan song will be released on September 25th. There will no longer be a second helping, as Almond assures:

“It’s fitting in many ways that our next (and now final) album together is called ‘Danceteria’, because this theme takes us back to New York in the early 1980s, where many of our musical ideas originated. This time and place really shaped us. Not only were we quintessentially British, but we always felt like a voluntary American band. We delved deeply into the myths and stories of Soft Cell once again, and ‘Danceteria’ is now an album that is for brings us full circle.”

Love letter to New York in the 80s

However, there is still a bit of melancholy for the singer. “I just wish Dave could have stayed long enough to celebrate our 50th anniversary in a few years,” Almond explained. Ball reportedly completed work on the album just two days before his death.

A first indication of what the new record might sound like (spoiler: no experiments!) was “Out Come The Freaks” – a cover version of the song of the same name by Was (Not Was). We now continue with the title track from “Danceteria”.

And what is the new record about? Marc Almond again: “‘Danceteria’ is a love letter to early ’80s New York. The time we spent there — and during which we recorded our first three albums — shaped us both as artists and as people. Celebrating that period felt like a fitting farewell for Dave Ball and the final Soft Cell studio album.”

The label suggests that the work is reminiscent of Sparks and the Pet Shop Boys in places and combines big pop melodies with cinematic narrative power. The new songs serve as a tribute to friendship, creativity and a shared artistic vision that has lastingly shaped electronic pop music.

Soft Cell – “Danceteria”: cover and tracklist

1. Elusive
2. Danceteria
3. The Space Inside
4. Times Square
5. Two Of A Kind
6. The Rainbow Room
7. In Heaven (When I Dance With You)
8. Decadence Is Hard Work
9. Crackland
10. What Is Your Morality?
11. Losing Yourself
12. After Hours
13. Wave To America
14. Out Come The Freaks