British new romantic legends Duran Duran have announced the release of their sixteenth studio album ‘Danse Macabre‘.
The follow-up to their 2021 album Future Past, produced by Mr. Hudson, is out on October 27 via BMG—in time for Halloween—and features covers of Talking Heads, The Rolling Stones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Specials, and more. Pre-order your copy here.
Catalyzed by one special live performance that Duran Duran filmed in Las Vegas on October 31st of last year, Danse Macabre is the soundtrack to their ultimate Halloween party. Across 13 tracks the band unearth bright melodies from the darkness, threading together new songs, themed covers, and newly reimagined versions of their own ‘spooky’ classics.
The title track is the first of three brand new songs. Anxious percussion sets the tempo against a distorted, growling synthesizer as Simon Le Bon’s swaggering verses give way to a handclap-laden and hypnotic hook. Teaming with producer Mr Hudson, channeling the chemistry they unlocked together on the Paper Gods album, the song also features former band-mate Warren Cuccurullo on guitar in his first collaboration with the band since 2001.
Speaking about Danse Macabre, keyboardist Nick Rhodes said:
“The song ‘Danse Macabre’ celebrates the joy and madness of Halloween. It is the title track of our forthcoming album, which gathers together an unusual mix of cover versions, reworked Duran Duran songs and several new compositions. The idea was born out of a show we played in Las Vegas on October 31st, 2022. We had decided to seize the moment to create a unique, special event…the temptation of using glorious gothic visuals set to a dark soundtrack of horror and humor was simply irresistible.
That evening inspired us to explore further and to make an album, using Halloween as the key theme. The record metamorphosed through a pure, organic process, and not only was it made faster than anything since our debut album, it has also resulted in something none of us could have ever predicted. Emotion, mood, style and attitude have always been at the heart of Duran Duran’s DNA, we search for light in the darkness and darkness in the light, and I feel we have somehow managed to capture the essence of all of that in this project.”
Simon Le Bon elaborates: “It’s about a crazy Halloween party. It’s supposed to be fun!”
John Taylor said: “After all these years, Danse Macabre offers an interesting insight into the personality of the band. The music packs a real punch.”
Roger Taylor adds: “I hope you take a journey with us through the darker side of our inspirations into where we’re at in 2023. Maybe, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how Duran Duran got to this moment in time.”
Check out “Danse Macabre” below, followed by the album’s tracklist and artwork.
‘Danse Macabre’ Tracklist:
- Nightboat
- Black Moonlight
- Love Voudou
- Bury A Friend
- Supernature
- Danse Macabre
- Secret Oktober 31st
- Ghost Town
- Paint It Black
- Super Lonely Freak
- Spellbound
- Psycho Killer (feat. Victoria De Angelis)
- Confession in the Afterlife
Photo Credit: Stephanie Pistel
