Blondie Rises High on First LP in Nine Years
After a nine-year pause, the legendary Blondie is back in the studio, set to release its 12th studio album, High Noon, on February 26th. This new record promises to be a rich tapestry woven from decades of musical influence, featuring a blistering track like the lead single, “Spectral Eyes”, penned by former Smiths member Johnny Marr, who also contributed guitar to the track.
The album doesn’t just revisit the band’s history; it expands it into a remarkable collaboration. High Noon is steeped in the history of rock and roll, bringing together a diverse cast of musicians. Among the guests are former Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, the Swedish folk-rock duo Beirut and the vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, along with the enduring presence of Debbie Harry, now 81, and guitarist Chris Stein, 76.
This project features Harry and Stein alongside the final recordings from co-founding drummer Clem Burke, whose legacy continues to resonate. The creation of the album was a collaborative effort, taking place over four years in New York, with producer John Congleton and later contributions from David Wrench, allowing many of the tracks to be recorded with the musicians playing in the same room.
The songwriting across the record delves deep into the band’s history. Tracks like “Heartbreak Kid”, composed by Stein with Johnny Thunders in mind, and “Sleepwalking”, written by Matlock, offer raw insights into the group’s journey. The album also revisits classic material, including “Little Metal Drummer,” originally recorded by Jimmy Destri for his 1981 solo debut, Heart on a Wall, which Harry and Burke both performed on.
Debbie Harry reflects on the creative process, stating that the album is an amalgamation of their various influences and eras, molded into something new. “This music feels grounded in the present and shaped by who we are and how we’re living now,” she notes.
Chris Stein, who has not toured with the band since 1999 due to a heart condition, expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “It’s been a long, strange ride, and somehow here we are with another Blondie album,” he said, emphasizing their immense appreciation for the support they have received over the years.
The visual identity of High Noon is handled by longtime collaborator and director Rob Roth, who worked with Untold Studios. Roth aimed to create something unexpected yet quintessentially Blondie, crafting a visual world that exists somewhere between the past, present, and future. This vision extends beyond the album art, as Roth is also directing a forthcoming short film featuring music from the new release.
The tracklist for High Noon includes a potent mix of new and classic sounds: “Spectral Eyes,” “Heartbreak Kid,” “Come Back Home,” “Tambo Tambo,” “Man Who Had No Face,” “The End,” “Little Metal Drummer,” “Sleepwalking,” “Whistle Into the Wind,” “Antifreeze,” “East of Eden,” and “Bad Underwear.”
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