The reality that Saint Etienne's upcoming 13th studio album, International, will also be their last is starting to sink in.
I love the music that Sarah, Bob and Pete have created over the past three decades and it's sad that we are mere weeks away from a point when they deliver their last collection of new material.
At the same time, how often do we get to see beloved artists bring things to a close in a manner of their own choosing? No acrimonious split, bitter recriminations or artists flogging a dead horse and regurgitating and recycling ideas that seemed tired and worn out the second or third last time they did it.
If the second single, Take Me To The Pilot, and preceding lead single Glad are any indication, then International is Saint Etienne at their best, instantly recognisable as them, but pushing the concept of the band and their sound into new shapes.
A co-write with Paul Hartnoll of Orbital (why hasn't that happened before?), Take Me To The Pilot is it's own field, but feels complementary to a couple of previous singles: Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi) (and especially the Two Lone Swordsmen remix by Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood) from 2000, and Who Do You Think You Are, specifically the 'Quex-rd' remix by Aphex Twin aka Richard D. James from 1993.
Glad is very much in the template of Saint Etienne's pop hits, though also very much in the 'now' of 2025. As ever, the videos for both are mesmerising, enhancing not distracting from the listening experience.
International is available for pre-order now, with a full release on 5th September and I may just have something in my eye on that day...
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