Jake Shears has shared a pair of remixes for the title song from his latest solo album.
‘Last Man Dancing’ saw the Scissor Sisters frontman return to the UK Top 20 earlier this summer and includes the singles Too Much Music and I Used To Be In Love.
Also featured is the song itself, Last Man Dancing, which has been reworked with a Cosmic Disco Mix and Cosmic Disco Dub from Hifi Sean.
Check out the new mixes of Last Man Dancing below.
Speaking in RETROPOP’s July 2023 issue, Jake reflected on writing and recording the LP, which leans into the sounds of dance music pioneers from across the decades and roots itself in club territory for an album that’s all about having a good time. “It definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously,” he smiled.
“I think I was just ready to make some party music again – some proper party music,” said the musician. “There are different sides to the music that I make; there’s my very classic rock-oriented side – that kind of easy listening, AM radio side – then there is the dance music / party music side of me.
“I feel like I definitely got all my ya-yas out on the last record and I didn’t really feel the need to be making any personal, emotional statements. I definitely incorporated my love of that sort of tripped-out, Journey-tastic feel, where a song and music can kind of take you on a ride.”
Alongside Ana Matronic, Del Marquis and Randy Real, Jake topped the UK charts with Scissor Sisters’ eponymous debut album – which was the best-selling album of 2004, earned four Top 20 hits and won three BRIT Awards – before matching the commercial success with follow-up ‘Ta-Dah’ (2006), which entered the US Top 20.
The success continued with ‘Night Work’ and ‘Magic Hour’ but behind the scenes there was a sense of pressure that, 20 years since their breakthrough, he’s managed to shake. “It was amazing and I wouldn’t trade any of it, at all, ever. I’m so proud of all of it and it’s allowed me to continue the great life that I have and be able to be creative in the way that I want to be. I’ve been very, very, very fortunate,” he shared. “But I have to look back and give myself a little bit of grace, because I was just a kid trying to do my best.
“Sometimes you think back and you’re like, ‘Why? Why was I acting like that? Why was I behaving like that? I should have known better. I shouldn’t have been feeling all that pressure.’ But I didn’t feel like a grown up at that age – I still don’t feel like a grown up, by the way!”
Jake added: “I’m gonna be 45 this year and I do want to just keep doing it. I love the fact that we look at Cher and we say, ‘There she is, still doing it.’ Iggy Pop is a great example of that; he’s somebody who’s still going. He’s not someone who’s in it for the hits or the fame or the money – he does it because he loves doing it. He loves making music. He loves performing. He loves being himself and letting himself go crazy and be free on stage. That is my goal in life.”
In a review of the album, RETROPOP called ‘Last Man Dancing’ an album that sees Jake “back doing what he does best with the most realised album of his career to date”.