Blondie are releasing a new album, High Noon, on 26 February via BMG – their 12th studio album and first collection of new material in 9 years.
The record features the final recordings of co-founder and drummer Clem Burke, who died last year after a battle with cancer, alongside guest contributions from Johnny Marr, Glen Matlock, Zach Condon of Beirut, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius. Sessions started back in 2022, with Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Burke working with producer John Congleton for the first time since 2017's Pollinator.
The first taste of the album is out today – the single Spectral Eyes, written by and featuring Johnny Marr on guitar. It's a song that knows exactly what it wants to be and doesn't wander off that path unless it needs to – and that focus gives the whole thing a pretty impressive authority. The 13 track album also includes Sleepwalking, written by Glen Matlock, and a reworked Little Metal Drummer, originally recorded by founding keyboardist Jimmy Destri for his solo album.
"This album is classic Blondie – an amalgamation of all our different influences and eras into something new," says Harry. Stein, typically, is more deadpan about it: "It's been a long, strange ride, and somehow here we are with another Blondie album. I'm not sure what the f*** I'm supposed to say at this point, except that we're incredibly grateful for all your support over the years."
High Noon follows last year's reissue of 1999's No Exit, which returned to vinyl for the first time and marked the band's comeback after a 17 year hiatus, built around the hit Maria. Spectral Eyes is out now to stream, with High Noon due on 26 February.