Saint Etienne- International
★★★★
HEAVENLY
Saint Etienne announced their cessation as fond adieu. But, as with the Vince Clarke co-write Two Lovers, there are meditations here on separation and infidelity. The LP is also full of happy cooperation, with collaborators including The Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands, Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll, Nick Heyward and Confidence Man’s Janet Planet.
The between-tracks snippets alone eclipse many artists’ careers, as when Katie Puckrik alludes to the 1994 Glastonbury interview where Saint Etienne’s Pete Wiggs expressed mashed devotion to movie monster Mothra. The tracks themselves bring career-spanning echoes. Debut album Foxbase Alpha chimes amid the dance rapture of Rowlands co-write Glad. Sweet Melodies hints at the Sensurround of 2021 LP I’ve Been Trying To Tell You. The whole is deeply bittersweet – but also a joyous farewell from this most wonderfully acute of English pop ensembles.
International is out September 5 on Heavenly.
ORDER: Amazon | Rough Trade | HMV
Track Listing:
1. Glad
2. Dancing Heart
3. The Go Betweens
4. Sweet Melodies
5. Save It For A Rainy Day
6. Fade
7. Brand New Me
8. Take Me To The Pilot
9. Two Lovers
10. Why Are You Calling
11. He’s Gone
12. The Last Time
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