New wave icons Soft Cell are expanding upon their 2022 record *Happiness Not Included with a set of two new albums. *Happiness Now Extended and *Happiness Now Completed are both slotted for a July 28 release via BMG.
While *Happiness Now Extended will feature lengthier versions of all the *Happiness Not Included tracks, *Happiness Now Completed hosts ten previously unreleased songs from the same recording sessions, penned by members Marc Almond and Dave Ball. The latter also houses covers of songs by Giorgio Moroder, X-Ray Spex and Fad Gadget.
"Marc and I were really keen to use all the music we made during the *Happiness sessions," Ball said via press release. "Our original plan had been to make a 16-song album, but that turned out to be over an hour long, so we whittled it down to 12, and decided to save the other songs for a rainy day. It's now time to release them. We're already discussing the prospect of another Soft Cell album, so it's important to get these songs out now so we can start from scratch on more material."
With the announcement, we also learn that Soft Cell and a certain pop star almost shared an album title: "The original working title for *Happiness Not Included had been Future Nostalgia, but Dua Lipa annoyingly came up with the same idea before our album was ready, so that was off the table."
*Happiness Now Extended will be treated to a limited-run, double 12-inch LP release, while *Happiness Now Completed will sit behind the *Happiness Not Included CD with new packaging. Pre-orders are available now.
Check out both albums' tracklists below.
*Happiness Now Extended:
1. Happy Happy Happy
2. Polaroid
3. Bruises on All My Illusions
4. Purple Zone (with Pet Shop Boys)
5. Heart Like Chernobyl
6. Light Sleepers
7. Happiness Not Included
8. Nostalgia Machine
9. Nighthawks (with CHRISTEENE)
10. I'm Not a Friend of God
11. Tranquiliser
12. New Eden
*Happiness Now Completed:
1. First Hand Experience in Second Hand Love
2. Jukebox Head
3. Quiet Rebellion
4. Strange Kinda Dance
5. The Day the World Turned Day-Glo (Full Version)
6. Vapourise (Edit)
7. You Kill Me
8. Last Chance (2020 Mix)
9. Murder Your Darlings
10. Night & the City (2023 Mix)
11. Gemini Lounge
12. Defiant
13. Back to Nature (Marc's Mix)
14. *Happiness Not Included (Sax Mix)
15. Purple Zone (Original Soft Cell Version)
16. Nostalgia Machine (Radio Edit)
17. Bruises on All My Illusions (Radio Edit)
18. First Hand Experience In Second Hand Love (Radio Edit)
19. Nighthawks (with CHRISTEENE) (Chris & Cosey Remix)
While *Happiness Now Extended will feature lengthier versions of all the *Happiness Not Included tracks, *Happiness Now Completed hosts ten previously unreleased songs from the same recording sessions, penned by members Marc Almond and Dave Ball. The latter also houses covers of songs by Giorgio Moroder, X-Ray Spex and Fad Gadget.
"Marc and I were really keen to use all the music we made during the *Happiness sessions," Ball said via press release. "Our original plan had been to make a 16-song album, but that turned out to be over an hour long, so we whittled it down to 12, and decided to save the other songs for a rainy day. It's now time to release them. We're already discussing the prospect of another Soft Cell album, so it's important to get these songs out now so we can start from scratch on more material."
With the announcement, we also learn that Soft Cell and a certain pop star almost shared an album title: "The original working title for *Happiness Not Included had been Future Nostalgia, but Dua Lipa annoyingly came up with the same idea before our album was ready, so that was off the table."
*Happiness Now Extended will be treated to a limited-run, double 12-inch LP release, while *Happiness Now Completed will sit behind the *Happiness Not Included CD with new packaging. Pre-orders are available now.
Check out both albums' tracklists below.
*Happiness Now Extended:
1. Happy Happy Happy
2. Polaroid
3. Bruises on All My Illusions
4. Purple Zone (with Pet Shop Boys)
5. Heart Like Chernobyl
6. Light Sleepers
7. Happiness Not Included
8. Nostalgia Machine
9. Nighthawks (with CHRISTEENE)
10. I'm Not a Friend of God
11. Tranquiliser
12. New Eden
*Happiness Now Completed:
1. First Hand Experience in Second Hand Love
2. Jukebox Head
3. Quiet Rebellion
4. Strange Kinda Dance
5. The Day the World Turned Day-Glo (Full Version)
6. Vapourise (Edit)
7. You Kill Me
8. Last Chance (2020 Mix)
9. Murder Your Darlings
10. Night & the City (2023 Mix)
11. Gemini Lounge
12. Defiant
13. Back to Nature (Marc's Mix)
14. *Happiness Not Included (Sax Mix)
15. Purple Zone (Original Soft Cell Version)
16. Nostalgia Machine (Radio Edit)
17. Bruises on All My Illusions (Radio Edit)
18. First Hand Experience In Second Hand Love (Radio Edit)
19. Nighthawks (with CHRISTEENE) (Chris & Cosey Remix)
