It's been nearly five years since Saint Etienne released their Words and Music, but the English dance-pop outfit are set to return with a new LP in 2017. Titled Home Counties, the record will arrive on June 2 through Heavenly Recordings.
Running 19 tracks in length, Home Counties was inspired by the trio's "bitter-sweet relationship with the eponymous shires that have always been part of our lives." The record was recorded in the summer and autumn of 2016 and was co-produced by Shawn Lee.
"We had so much fun writing for this album, drawing influence from our teenage years growing up in the home counties," the band's Sarah Cracknell said in a statement. "Bob, Pete and I led almost parallel lives while I was in Windsor and they were in Surrey, developing our passion for music and London."
She continued: "Shawn Lee was a joy to work with, he's a wonderful multi-instrumentalist who seemed to have some kind of telepathy with us and translated our ideas perfectly. The record is quite varied in styles and brings together a little something from all our past albums whilst sounding completely new."
Bob Stanley added: "Suburbia's anonymity is exactly why it's a source of inspiration. They said it couldn't happen here — and it didn't."
Read through the tracklist to hear a taste of what's to come with "Heather" in the player below.
Home Counties:
1. The Reunion
2. Something New
3. Magpie Eyes
4. Whyteleafe
5. Dive
6. Church Pew Furniture Restorer
7. Take It All In
8. Popmaster
9. Underneath The Apple Tree
10. Out Of My Mind
11. After Hebden
12. Breakneck Hill
13. Heather
14. Sports Report
15. Train Drivers In Eyeliner
16. Unopened Fan Mail
17. What Kind Of World
18. Sweet Arcadia
19. Angel Of Woodhatch
Running 19 tracks in length, Home Counties was inspired by the trio's "bitter-sweet relationship with the eponymous shires that have always been part of our lives." The record was recorded in the summer and autumn of 2016 and was co-produced by Shawn Lee.
"We had so much fun writing for this album, drawing influence from our teenage years growing up in the home counties," the band's Sarah Cracknell said in a statement. "Bob, Pete and I led almost parallel lives while I was in Windsor and they were in Surrey, developing our passion for music and London."
She continued: "Shawn Lee was a joy to work with, he's a wonderful multi-instrumentalist who seemed to have some kind of telepathy with us and translated our ideas perfectly. The record is quite varied in styles and brings together a little something from all our past albums whilst sounding completely new."
Bob Stanley added: "Suburbia's anonymity is exactly why it's a source of inspiration. They said it couldn't happen here — and it didn't."
Read through the tracklist to hear a taste of what's to come with "Heather" in the player below.
Home Counties:
1. The Reunion
2. Something New
3. Magpie Eyes
4. Whyteleafe
5. Dive
6. Church Pew Furniture Restorer
7. Take It All In
8. Popmaster
9. Underneath The Apple Tree
10. Out Of My Mind
11. After Hebden
12. Breakneck Hill
13. Heather
14. Sports Report
15. Train Drivers In Eyeliner
16. Unopened Fan Mail
17. What Kind Of World
18. Sweet Arcadia
19. Angel Of Woodhatch
