Razorlight’s classic line-up is working on its first album in over a decade, with guitarist Björn Ågren comparing the tracks to the band’s debut LP.
The four-piece – also starring Johnny Borrell (vocals), Carl Delemo (bass) and Andy Burrows (drums) – reformed in 2021, marking the return of the line-up behind Razorlight’s second and third albums, ‘Razorlight’ (2006) and ‘Slipway Fires’ (2008).
Last year, they released their first greatest hits collection, ‘Razorwhat? The Best of Razorlight’, and the band is back in the studio working on more new material that harks back to classics like Golden Touch and Somewhere Else.
“We’re really just trying to find our feet a little bit and figure out how things work now,” Ågren tells RETROPOP’s August issue. “The writing is kind of constant – Johnny was over here last night showing me a new tune, actually – and we’re always trying new stuff. We know what the foundation sound of the band is, but we’re always searching, trying new things and just keeping it fun – because you never know what’s gonna hit.
“You Are Entering The Human Heart did fairly well and it was like, ‘Oh, a Razorlight piano tune! There’s not many of those…’ But a great tune is a great tune.”
Ahead lies a summer of live shows, including a support slot ahead of Kaiser Chiefs at Trentham Live in August, after which they’re looking forward to releasing the band’s fifth record.
“What I really want to do now is put an album together,” says the America hitmaker. “Maybe we’ll do that or a series of four-track EPs. But yeah, make new stuff and see what people think of that, because I’ve been very pleasantly surprised and it’s sounding properly Razorlight.
“We thought we might struggle but as soon as we started we realised, ‘This is good’. Some of it sounds very like the first album – I’d love to show people and see what they think, then take it from there.”
Razorlight are supporting Kaiser Chiefs at Trentham Live on August 19. Tickets are on sale now.
Read the full interview in the August 2023 edition of RETROPOP, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store, use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist, or get Digital Copies delivered direct to your devices.
