Legendary ‘80s synth-pop band Soft Cell announced their first new album in 20 years. Their record *Happiness Not Included will be the duo’s fifth album and while it has no official release date yet, the band announced it for Spring 2022. Along with the album announcement the band shared a track teaser, the album art and the track listing of the record. Soft Cell’s last album, Cruelty Without Beauty, came out in 2002.
The electro band revealed their plans on slowly building up to the release of the album by sharing their first real song off the record in fall 2021. They will also play some shows in the UK in November this year. The band will preview some if their upcoming songs and play old classics from their decade long career during their shows. They will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of their #1 debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret while touring. The 1981 album featured the band most famous single “Tainted Love,” which to this day is still a popular song to cover and sing at karaoke.
About *Happiness Not Included, singer and frontman Marc Almond says, “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.” He adds, “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, the duo shared their first song in 15 years “Northern Lights,” and then also announced they would play one last show before retiring. According to their press release, this show actually inspired them not to retire and to record a new album. In April this year, the band shared a glimpse of them back in the studio officially announcing that they are working on a new record.
*Happiness Not Included tracklist:
1. Happy, Happy, Happy
2. Polaroid
3. Bruises On My Illusions
4. Purple Zone
5. Heart Like Chernobyl
6. Light Sleepers
7. *Happiness Not Included
8. Nostalgia Machine
9. Nighthawk
10. I’m Not A Friend Of God
11. Tranquiliser
12. New Eden
Soft Cell 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