After Philip Oakey’s sojourns with LITTLE BOOTS and PET SHOP BOYS last year, THE HUMAN LEAGUE finally are back good and proper with ‘Night People’, the lead track from their new album Credo which will be released early 2011.
Premiered publicly by Wall Of Sound supremo Mark Jones during his brilliant DJ set at OMD’s ‘History Of Modern’ launch party, this danceable ditty is not only very electronic but also highly contemporary too. And the lyrical couplet “leave your cornflakes in your freezers, leave your chocolates and your cheeses…” shows Mr Oakey hasn’t lost his touch for off-the-wall symbolism, “join us now my friends, we hail you!”
Punchy, tight and almost minimal, ‘Night People’ is a worthy comeback with its wonderfully elastic synthbass, trancey touches and enchanting deadpan vocals. Co-written by Philip Oakey and regular League sideman Rob Barton with Dean Honer and Jarrod Gosling aka I MONSTER who also produce, among those contributing remixes are French disco pioneer CERRONE, Rock ‘N’ Roll destroyer MYLO, funky electrotech merchant EMPEROR MACHINE and Belgian trio VILLA.
The new album ‘Credo’ is said to be “part of that particular pop lineage that goes from DAVID BOWIE, ROXY MUSIC and KRAFTWERK to DONNA SUMMER, CHIC and MICHAEL JACKSON to LADY GAGA, USHER and GIRLS ALOUD. Supremely infectious chart pop music with a twist of subversion”… so at least THE HUMAN LEAGUE haven’t gone rockabilly or anything!
As Philip Oakey once said himself: “This is a song for all you bigheads out there who think that disco music is lower than the irrelevant musical gibberish and tired platitudes that you try to impress your parents with. We’re THE HUMAN LEAGUE, we’re much cleverer than you”.
‘Night People’ is released by Wall Of Sound on 22nd November 2010
THE HUMAN LEAGUE 2010 tour with special guests (WE ARE) PERFORMANCE includes:
Norwich UEA (29th Nov), Halifax Victoria Theatre (30th Nov), Sheffield City Hall (1st Dec), Bristol Colston Hall (3rd Dec), Wolverhampton Civic Hall (4th Dec), St Albans Arena (5th Dec), Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall (6th Dec), Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (7th Dec), Stoke Victoria Hall (9th Dec), London Royal Festival Hall (10th Dec), Cambridge Corn Exchange (11th Dec), Gateshead Sage (13th Dec), Edinburgh Picture House (14th Dec), Manchester Academy (15th Dec), Lincoln Engine Shed (17th Dec), Leicester De Montfort Hall (18th Dec)
Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th November 2010
Follow Us!