In the aftermath of Roxy Music’s triumphant 50th-anniversary tour in 2022 and a series of reissues of both the band’s iconic catalog and his own solo ventures, Bryan Ferry returns with “Star,” his first new release in ten years. Teaming up with the creative talents of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, Ferry conjures a track that weaves a spell of hypnotic haze, drenched in dark synths and shadowed allure.
When Bryan Ferry announced his sprawling compilation Retrospectives last month, he kept his cards close. However, a press release reveals that Star began life as a sketch by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, whose fingerprints are all over the song’s haunting drum programming and basslines.
Featured on Ferry’s upcoming Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023, Star shimmers with sleek sophistication, a dark synth lullaby where Ferry’s subdued whisper floats like wisps of smoke over a bed of eerie electronics in conjunction with an icy spoken word performance from Glaswegian artist Amelia Barratt. The result is what Ferry’s representatives describe as “an anxious, darkly gleaming slab of pounding post-techno.
“Star is a collaboration with the painter and writer Amelia Barratt,” says Ferry. “A couple of years ago I helped her record an audiobook here in my studio. I was very impressed by her writing, and this is the first song we did together. I’m very excited about this new work – there’s a lot more to come.”
This song is all about subtle power—a quiet, relentless groove that slides into your psyche and lingers. The electronic rhythms pulse gently under Ferry’s barely-there vocals, creating a tension that never quite resolves. It’s a masterclass in understatement, a blend of polish and mystique, capturing a shadowy elegance.
“Star” embodies that tantalizing clash of eras, where Ferry’s signature suave delivery intersects with the raw, layred textures of Reznor and Ross’s electronic craft. The result is a track that dazzles in the dark, whose mood casts new light on familiar shadows.
You can watch the video for “Star,” which Ferry himself directed, below:
Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023, an 81-track behemoth out October 25 via BMG Records, is the first to cover Ferry’s tenure with Island Records, Polydor, Virgin, E.G. Records, and BMG. The collection will be released as a 5-CD package accompanied by a 100-page hardback book.
An abridged edition, on double vinyl and single CD, will be released as The Best Of Bryan Ferry.
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