{"id":631239,"date":"2026-10-15T09:22:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/631239\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T09:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:22:17","slug":"classic-blondie-return-with-new-album-high-noon-featuring-johnny-marr-glen-matlock-and-more-and-energetic-single-spectral-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/631239\/","title":{"rendered":"“Classic Blondie” return with new album ‘High Noon’ featuring Johnny Marr, Glen Matlock and more and energetic single ‘Spectral Eyes\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blondie<\/a> are back with the new album \u2018High Noon\u2019, which features the final recordings from Clem Burke and contributions from Johnny Marr<\/a>, Glen Matlock<\/a> and more. Check out the driving lead single \u2018Spectral Eyes\u2019 below.<\/p>\n

Set for release on February 26 via BMG, the new record marks the 12th studio album from Debbie Harry<\/a> and co., and the NYC rock icons\u2019 first collection of new material in nine years. Visit here<\/a> to pre-order.<\/p>\n

Set to combine their signature punk-rock sound with new inflections of dance music and Latin rhythms, the record features the final recordings of co-founder and drummer Clem Burke, who died last year following a battle with cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Across the 13 songs on \u2018High Noon\u2019, Harry and Chris Stein are joined by special guests including Johnny Marr, Glen Matlock, Zach Condon of Beirut<\/a>, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today (Thursday October 15), the first taster of the record is out via the electrifying new single \u2018Spectral Eyes\u2019, which was written by Marr and also features him on guitar. Rife with energetic vocal melodies, shimmering guitar riffs and a hypnotic chorus, the track captures the signature sound that first put Blondie on the map. Check it out below.<\/p>\n

Sessions for \u2018High Noon\u2019 started back in 2022, with the original trio rejoining forces with producer John Congleton [St. Vincent<\/a>, The War On Drugs<\/a>] in New York for the first time since they made their 2017 album \u2018Pollinator<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis album is classic Blondie \u2013 an amalgamation of all our different influences and eras into something new,\u201d said Harry. \u201cThis music feels grounded in the present, shaped by who we are and how we\u2019re living now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stein added: \u201cIt\u2019s been a long, strange ride, and somehow here we are with another Blondie album. I\u2019m not sure what the fuck I\u2019m supposed to say at this point, except that we\u2019re incredibly grateful for all your support over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much of the work was done in the New York Studio studio before the death of Clem Burke, and the visual world of \u2018High Noon\u2019 was made in collaboration with artist and director Rob Roth, who has worked with Blondie since their 1999 album \u2018No Exit\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to create something unexpected, but something that still feels quintessentially Blondie,\u201d the director shared. \u201c\u2018High Noon\u2019 exists in its own world \u2013 somewhere between the past, present and future. There are references to different eras and the band\u2019s history, all mixed together to create something that feels both familiar and new.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BlondieBlondie \u2018High Noon\u2019 artwork. CREDIT: Press<\/p>\n

Check out the tracklist below, which features \u2018Sleepwalking\u2019 written by Glen Matlock, and a revisited version of \u2018Little Metal Drummer\u2019 which was originally recorded by Blondie co-founding keyboardist Jimmy Destri for his debut solo album \u2018Heart On A Wall\u2019.<\/p>\n

The \u2018High Noon\u2019 tracklist is:<\/p>\n

1. \u2018Spectral Eyes\u2019
2. \u2018Heartbreak Kid\u2019
3. \u2018Come Back Home\u2019
4. \u2018Tambo Tambo\u2019
5. \u2018Man Who Had No Face\u2019
6. \u2018The End\u2019
7. \u2018Little Metal Drummer\u2019
8. \u2018Sleepwalking\u2019
9. \u2018Whistle Into The Wind\u2019
10. \u2018Antifreeze\u2019
11. \u2018East of Eden\u2019
12. \u2018Bad Underwear\u2019
13. \u2018Ah, Sunflower, Weary of Time\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018High Noon\u2019 is the first new release from the punk icons since they dropped a reissue of \u2018No Exit\u2019 last year<\/a> \u2013 the record that marked their return after a 17-year hiatus and contained the chart-topping hit \u2018Maria\u2019.The reissue saw the record pressed on vinyl for the first time, arrived with updated artwork from Rob Roth, and included the track \u2018Hot Shot\u2019 which was only available in Japan up until that point.<\/p>\n

Speaking to NME at the time<\/a>, Harry and Stein told us about new music on the way and confirmed that they had been working with Marr and Matlock.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a traditional Blondie composite of sounds and styles of music,\u201d said Harry. \u201cThat\u2019s a format we\u2019ve stuck with from the get-go. Over the years we\u2019ve gotten better and better at it, and we\u2019ve also taken a few outside tracks from outside artists. We have a track from Johnny Marr, and we have one from Glen [Matlock] too.\u201d<\/p>\n

View this post on Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

When asked if this would be their last record after the passing of Burke, Stein replied: \u201cClem was OK when we did this new record. His situation was very sudden and very fast. It shocked everybody\u2026 so It\u2019s hard to say. I don\u2019t know. I\u2019ve been dealing with health bullshit, so I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll get back to making music\u2026 hopefully at some point I\u2019ll get back at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry added: \u201cWhen it comes to another Blondie album, I think it\u2019s probably the same thing that I said about doing shows, maybe it would be \u2018Blondie Presents\u2019 or something like that. \u200aI haven\u2019t really ironed it out yet\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n