For the first time in nearly two decades, Soft Cell makes a huge announcement: the English duo are releasing their fifth album on 25 February 2022 via BMG, entitled Happiness Not Included. This will be their first full-length since 2002’s Cruelty Without Beauty.
The album will feature a dozen brand new Marc Almond and Dave Ball songs. The first single to be released from the album will be available this autumn, but if you pre-order the album now, you will receive a digital download of the track “Heart Like Chernobyl” on August 13th.
The duo made the announcement last year that the album was in the works, and it has finally come to fruition. *Happiness Not Included, recorded remotely during the pandemic, contains ‘science fiction for the 21st century,’ according to Ball.
“In this album I wanted to look at us as a society: a place where we have chosen to put profits before people, money before morality and decency, food before the rights of animals, fanaticism before fairness and our own trivial comforts before the unspeakable agonies of others,” Almond said in a press release. “But in the album there is also a belief that there is a utopia if we can peel back the layers and understand what really matters.”
In 2018, Soft Cell played at the O2 Arena in London, calling it their “last show,” but never say never, Mr Almond. Soft Cell will be playing a short UK tour in November where they will perform the legendary Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret in its entirety – alongside hits, fan favourites and other surprises from across their career and their new album.
The offered album formats include picture disc vinyl, yellow vinyl, deluxe CD, cassette and download, and a selection of money-saving bundles is also available. Pre-orders and more information can be found here.
Ticket pre-sales start at 10am (UK) on Wednesday 4th August and pre-sale codes are available with any pre-order purchase of *Happiness Not Included. Tickets for the shows got on general sale at 10am on Friday 6 August here.
Access to pre-sale for the tour will be available to those that pre-order *Happiness Not Included from their store.
TRACKLIST
- Happy Happy Happy
- Polaroid
- Bruises On My Illusions
- Purple Zone
- Heart Like Chernobyl
- Light Sleepers
- *Happiness Not Included
- Nostalgia Machine
- Nighthawks
- I’m Not A Friend Of God
- Tranquiliser
- New Eden
TOUR DATES
11/10 Glasgow O2 Academy
11/12 Manchester O2 Apollo
11/13 Leeds O2 Academy
11/15 London Hammersmith Apollo
11/16 London Hammersmith Apollo
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