Blondie announce new album ‘High Noon’ after 9 years
The American pop-rock giants are joined by special guests to deliver sonic blend of eras on album twelve.
Photo: Maddy Rotman
Following the recent unveiling of lead single Spectral Eyes, Blondie, now in their 52nd year, announce their twelfth studio album High Noon, coming early next year. It follows 2017’s well-received Pollinator.
Recording sessions started as early as 2022, with the band calling upon previous album producer John Congleton to achieve what frontwoman Debbie Harry describes as “classic Blondie”, adding that we’re in for “an amalgamation of all our different influences and eras into something new. The music feels grounded in the present, shaped by who we are and how we’re living now.”
Expect star-studded contributions from tour mate and former Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock to The Smiths guitar legend and previous collaborator Johnny Marr, who penned and features on the bright, enigmatic lead single. Joining them are fellow New Yorkers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig from art-pop outfit Lucius and Zach Condon of indie-folk project Beirut.
The contribution long-time fans will undoubtedly appreciate most is the final recordings of the late Clem Burke, Blondie’s definitive drummer from its classic lineup, who passed away in April of last year.
Visually, High Noon was curated by artist-director Rob Roth, whose own collaboration with Blondie has already been going twenty-five years strong. Joining forces with Untold Studios, an upcoming Roth-directed short film will feature music from the new album, drawing upon cinematic imagery, vintage film-reel textures and contemporary references.
On its overall theme and sound, Roth says: “High Noon exists in its own world — somewhere between the past, present and future. There are references to different eras and the band’s history, all mixed together to create something that feels both familiar and new.”
Across thirteen tracks, a few to look out for are Sleepwalking, a trusty, no-nonsense punk number written by Matlock and Little Metal Drummer, which was first recorded by original Blondie keyboardist Jimmy Destri on his debut solo venture in 1981.
Elsewhere, Chris Stein wrote Heartbreak Kid as a kind of ode to Johnny Thunders, while reflecting on the band’s downtown New York beginnings and the Stein-Harry contribution, Man Who Had No Face, promises vivid lyrics, lively guitar and energetic keys.
The announcement serves as a reminder: not only of the musical impact they’ve mastered for over a half-century across the world, but of Blondie’s wider reach across film, art, fashion and pop culture.
Tracklist:
1. Spectral Eyes
2. Heartbreak Kid
3. Come Back Home
4. Tambo Tambo
5. Man Who Had No Face
6. The End
7. Little Metal Drummer
8. Sleepwalking
9. Whistle Into The Wind
10. Antifreeze
11. East of Eden
12. Bad Underwear
13. Ah, Sunflower, Weary of Time
High Noon arrives on February 26th 2027 via BMG. Pre-order and save here.