About this item

The The’s first studio album of new songs in a quarter century!

The 12 songs on Ensoulment encompasses characteristic topics ranging from love & sex, war & politics, life & death – to the meaning of what it is to be human in the 21st century.

Singer-songwriter Matt Johnson is joined by long-standing THE THE members James Eller (bass), DC Collard (keyboards), Earl Harvin (drums), and Barrie Cadogan (lead guitar). The album also marks the return of co-producer and engineer Warne Livesey, who previously worked on landmark THE THE albums Infected (1986) and Mind Bomb (1989). Additional performances include Gillian Glover (backing vocals), Terry Edwards (horns), Sonya Cullingford (fiddle) and Danny Cummings (percussion).

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's a testament to how recognisable The The's sound is that Johnson & Co. can return 25 years later and instantly sound like a more mature, modern version of their classic arty post-punk sound. Things are a little less raucous than the early years, but there are a host of classic licks and trademark melodic turns.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Cognitive Dissident
2. Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave Of William Blake
3. Zen & The Art Of Dating

SIDE B
4. Kissing The Ring Of POTUS
5. Life After Life
6. I Want To Wake Up With You

SIDE C
7. Down By The Frozen River
8. Risin’ Above The Need
9. Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot

SIDE D
10. Where Do We Go When We Die?
11. I Hope You Remember (The Things I Can’t Forget)
12. A Rainy Day In May