Titled The Night, Saint Etienne’s 12th studio album is set to arrive on December 13 via Heavenly Recordings. It follows their critically acclaimed 2021 album, I’ve Been Trying to Tell You.
On November 14, the British trio — Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley, and Pete Wiggs — released their lead single “Half Light,” comprised of an ethereal sound that provides a “calm to restless minds and a gentle respite from modern life’s relentless pace,” says its press release.
“‘Half Light’ is about the edge of night,” Wiggs says, “the last rays of the sun flickering through the branches of trees, communing with nature and seeing things that might not be there.”
Recorded in two locations — Saltaire, and Hove, England — in 2024, The Night comprises 14 songs. The album was produced by the band in collaboration with composer and producer, Augustin Bousfield. The album’s sleeve notes are written by Benjamin Myers, an award-winning author whose recent novel Rare Singles is being developed for screen with Warner Music Entertainment and Class 5.
“Saint Etienne takes us gently by the hand, to sink deep down through the layers of the after-hours and pull tired minds back from the brink of despair,” pens Myers. “The Night belongs to a long tradition that begins in the pre-times with one man finding solace in the sound of the wind, in the grass, or water running over rock, then strolls on through centuries of softening sounds, passing through college and the music of the new age.”
“It was good to be back in the studio together after recording the last album remotely,” tells Cracknell, whose favorite song on the record is “Preflyte”.
Stanley says they intended The Night to be a calming, warm, and serene album that is both gorgeous and dense. He attributes the album’s three-dimensional quality to Bousfield who played the guitar. “You could think of it as one continuous, single track,” Stanley remarks. “It is definitely a headphone album.”
First formed in 1990, Saint Etienne emerged during the rise of acid house and Brit-pop. This helped them develop a sound that blends alternative rock with electronic synths and beats. Their tracks “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and “Nothing Can Stop Us” / “Speedwell” reached number one in the U.S. Dance charts in 1990 and 1991 respectively.
