Razorlight reunite for new album, Planet Nowhere
By Dan Biggane | July 26, 2024
After reuniting for live shows in 2021, the classic Razorlight line-up of Johnny Borrell (vocals/guitar), Björn Ågren (guitar), Carl Dalemo (bass) and Andy Burrows (drums), will release a new album, Planet Nowhere, on 25 October, their first together since 2008.
At the forefront of the indie-rock resurgence of the early 2000s, the band scored three Top 5 albums, nine Platinum album certifications and an NME Award. With hits such as Golden Touch, Somewhere Else, In The Morning, America and Wire To Wire, the collective successfully crossed over to the mainstream and amassed a huge fanbase.
Since reuniting, Razorlight have sold-out a headline tour which included a London show at the Eventim Apollo, and played shows as guests to Muse, Kaiser Chiefs and James. But as the ever ambitious Johnny challenged himself, “Who wants to be a greatest hits band?” So he hatched a plan, and late in 2023 booked a five-day session with the legendary producer Youth (The Verve, James) at his Space Mountain studio in Spain. Youth knew what they had to achieve, telling the band, “Razorlight’s quite simple isn’t it? Just a driving bassline, driving drums and a story.”
Razorlight preview the new set by sharing its first single, Scared Of Nothing. Listen below:
Scared of Nothing
For whatever reason, things weren’t that simple. After four days they had a stack of ideas, but nothing really worth pursuing. And then, as Johnny recalls, something remarkable emerged from out of nowhere.“I’d been down in the barranca, and came back up to find the studio empty. So I picked up this weird six-string bass/guitar hybrid I’d never seen before and wrote this thing. On our last night, I started playing it with the guys. The drums came in hard, the bass pounded. It sounded like shit. Absolute shit.
“But Youth was there, saying ‘Can, Velvets, see where it takes you’ and ‘Why don’t you try it like that?’ But still the track just wouldn’t budge, locked in its own inertia. Youth says, ‘You’re getting there, just one more’ and almost instantly the song came out, from nothing to something, like a statue coming up out of marble.”
That song was Scared of Nothing and listening back to the finished track, it’s easy to see why it resparked Razorlight’s mojo.
Planet Nowhere Tracklist
Zombie Love
U Can Call Me
Taylor Swift = US Soft Propaganda
Dirty Luck
Scared of Nothing
F.O.B.F.
Empire Service
Cyclops
Cool People
April Ends’
In other Razorlight news, the band has announce details of an intimate underplay tour in October, which consists of the smallest shows that the band have played in years.
Fans who pre-order Planet Nowhere from their official store here will receive access to a pre-sale for tour tickets. The pre-sale opens at 9am on 1 August and will remain live until remaining tickets go on general sale from 9am on 2 August.
October – Underplay Tour
18 – Birmingham, Castle & Falcon
19 – Edinburgh, Mash House
20 – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
21 – Manchester, Band on the Wall
22 – Brighton, Komedia
24 – Bristol, Strange Brew
November
21 – London, O2 Academy Brixton (with special guests Mystery Jets)
For further information click here
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