Erasure are back with “The Neon” out on 21 August 2020

The Neon is a place that lives in the imagination, that we – you and me – put in the real world. It could be a night club, a shop, a city, a cafe, a country, a bedroom, a restaurant, any place at all. It’s a place of possibility in warm, glowing light and this is music that takes you there.

Written and produced by Erasure, the album’s initial sessions saw Vince and Andy reunite to work on the follow up to 2017’s World Be Gone with a fresh optimism and energy, in part born from their own recent personal projects. Vince goes on to explain, “Our music is always a reflection of how we’re feeling. He was in a good place spiritually, and so was I – really good places in our minds. You can hear that.”

Taking inspiration from pop music through the decades, from bands Andy loved as a child through to the present day, he explains, “It was about refreshing my love – hopefully our love – of great pop. I want kids now to hear these songs! I wanted to recharge that feeling that pop can come from anyone.”

The album’s vocals were recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, with Vince joining Andy at the studio sessions, and the mixing was done by the band in London earlier this year.

We’re living in difficult times at the moment, and we’ve all waiting for something to lift the gloom and lift our spirits high… Well, this might just do it, as Erasure release their latest album The Neon….

With 18 studio albums under their belt, through a career spanning 35 years, Erasure continue to make superb electropop, the kind that just sort of makes the worries of the world melt away. The Neon is Erasure to a T. It’s bright, colourful and the arrangements aren’t over cluttered and for the most part, this album is upbeat, energetic and full of life.

I love that it harks back at times to the early years and the 1980’s with wonderful classic old school analogue synth sounds to which I danced away many a night back in the day lol such as the buoyant electro beat through the opening track Hey Now and the punchy nature of Shot a Satellite. But that is not to say they lack innovation. This isn’t a nostalgic trip, the tracks are fresh and lively, and made for the 21st century. Vince’s skills at sound creation are exceptional as ever, and deliver the perfect basis for Andy Bell’s bright and uplifting vocals to float over.

Nerves of Steel slides in subtly on a beautiful single synth tone, with a wonderful low electronic rhythms which embraces you into the vocals from Andy Bell. A song about forgiveness and that you’re never abandoned as he sings reassuringly "Are you gonna make your way back here? Who rattled your cage?"

With Fallen Angel the rhythmic pulse is louder and punchier, with a wonderful fuzzy deep synth bassline, but the lyrics remain upbeat and reassuring "I had to change my ways…Fly like a fallen angel…I tried all of the things that give me love…"

We’re right back on the dancefloor when No Point in Tripping starts up with its wonderful punchy rhythm one to clap along to as you dance. Shot a Satellite has a wonderful intro, old school, Kraftwerk like in its brilliant simplicity with Andy Bell kicking out the lyric s with the same power he did 35 years ago.

With Tower of Love the pace slows down, and has a real different feel to it. Even early on, it doesn’t sound like Andy Bell underpinned with a simple synth harmony. Sometimes less is more, and this one is much more. It’s truly emotional. The pace changes again with Diamond Lies which has a much more automated feel to it, the early vocals also having an almost android feel to them.

Again the pace slows as the simple piano and atmospheric swirling synth tones introduces us to New Horizons “You’re my saviour, you’re my rock in the storm. Like the sea upon the shore the tide is changing.” A beautiful love song of hope as Andy sings “We will live to love again.” Probably my favourite track on the album.

Careful What I Try To Do picks it up again with a solid bassline driving the track, with an open, layered synth structure. Lots of different sounds and tones but not overwhelming, each with space to breathe so you can enjoy the delicate nature of the track. “You got fortitude and you find the means when you care about the important things” Bell emotionally sings, “and you came along, at the perfect time, when I needed you, I was on my knees.”

Finally we reach the end with Kid You’re Not Alone with it’s almost film score introduction of swirling synth-scapes before launching into a delicate synth ballad. Soothing and light, and a great vocal range from Andy Bell, showing he can still hit the higher scales and lost none of that amazing tonal quality.

As the album ends, Andy sings "We'll come around and find our way through darkness, guided by the stars," a wonderful metaphor to end on, with hope for the future, calling out to us.

In the press release for the album, Andy Bell said the album was “was about refreshing my love – hopefully our love – of great pop. I want kids now to hear these songs!” Well, you’ve done just that sir! A wonderful release full of bouncy, lively electropop worthy of the 21st century.

A richly deserved 9.0 from LiveWire Music