11 May 2022

Band: SOFT CELL (Leeds, UK)
Who: Vocalist Marc Almond
and instrumentalist David Ball

Active: 1978–1984, 2001–2003, 2018–present
Five studio albums, including the new one.

New album: *HAPPINESS NOT INCLUDED
Released: 6 May 2022 – more info here.

(photo by Turn Up The Volume)

Marc Almond: “In this album I wanted to look at us as a society: a place
where we have chosen to put profits before people, money before morality
and decency, food before the rights of animals, fanaticism before fairness
and our own trivial comforts before the unspeakable agonies of others. But
in the album there is also a belief that there is a utopia if we can peel back
the layers and understand what really matters.”

The Guardian (British newspaper): “*Happiness Not Included cleverly compares t
he 80s promises of a future straight out of science-fiction (“rocket ships and monorails, electricity that never fails”) with how things have actually turned out… While these songs reference war, famine, loneliness, isolation and authoritarianism, Marc Almond’s witty lyrics and synth man David Ball’s bouncy tunes mean the mood is more wryly hopeful than bleak.” Score: 4/5.

Turn Up The Volume: 40 years after their debut LP and 20 years after their 5th
one Cruelty About Beauty, Soft Cell come back to remind us of their sharp 80s nose
for electro-pop crackers (Tainted Love / Say Hello Wave Goodbye / Bedsitter / Torch) and prove it once more here with a tantalizing trio of stellar singles (hear/see below).

But a whole retro (they sound almost exactly the same as back then) album sounds
a bit too retro in the end. But as I said they still have a musical nose for dancefloor
thrills (half of the album). Put on your blue suede glitter shoes.

Singles/clips: Heart Like Chernobyl / Bruises On All My Illusions

– HEART LIKE CHERNOBYL –

– BRUISES ON ALL MY ILLUSIONS –

– PURPLE ZONE –
(With Pet Shop Boys)

Stream full album on Spotify…

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SOFT CELL: Facebook