Released: August 12
Erasure revisit their latest album ‘The Neon’ on ‘Day-Glo (Based On A True Story)’ – a collection of 10 new synth-pop recordings.
Arriving two years after the duo’s 18th studio record – which peaked at No. 4 in the UK, marking their highest chart placement since 1994 release ‘I Say I Say I Say’ – the largely instrumental set was born of Vince Clarke’s lockdown project, in which he began manipulating files for tracks from the long-player.
Having discovered a new musical landscape from within each of the recordings, he handed over the compositions to Andy Bell who, along with long-time collaborator Gareth Jones, began work on his parts with an overarching sense of improvisation.
The result is a wholly unique album that sits aside from the remainder of the pair’s extensive catalogue, yet sounds undoubtedly like an Erasure record, with echoes of ‘The Neon’ supported with sparse and often ominous vocals from Andy, who veers away from the traditional verse-chorus model.
It’s a new approach that’s equally effective; opener Based on a True Story contains elements of album track Tower of Love – the moody mid-point on Erasure’s latest LP. Evoking the track, the new recording contains few lyrics, instead favouring layered harmonies that create an atmosphere once again referencing the original.
Some cuts are more direct allusions to their counterparts than others; Bop Beat is linked to ‘The Neon’ lead single Hey Now (Think I Got a Feeling) musically and lyrically, with its title harkening back to the track’s opening line, ‘I hear the beat bop through my brain’, while looser instrumental tracks such as Now are evocative yet elusive when compared with earlier versions.
What’s striking about ‘Day-Glo (Based On A True Story)’ is its appearance two years on from the launch of the campaign and, with that in mind, Vince and Andy’s determination to release it out into the world – particularly when it’s so left of their usual work. But while it may not have the immediacy of the pop gems the duo is known for, it’s an intriguing listen that lures you into an electronic world without boundaries or rules.
Much like Saint Etienne’s experimental 2021 release ‘I’ve Been Trying To Tell You’, the vocals are low in the mix throughout much of the album, and often there’s something left to discover. Take The Conman, which beneath its light, bouncy surface, laced with rousing harmonies, features a call to arms to ‘rise up’ against the forces in society that profit on lies.
Erasure – as one of the longest-running partnerships in popular music – are known for their tight pop anthems, but almost four decades into their career they’ve thrown a curveball and put out an album filled with self-referential gems and, although perhaps not to everyone’s taste, it stands out as one of the most intriguing, creative projects in their catalogue.
‘Day-Glo: Based On A True Story’ is available to pre-order now.
