Saint Etienne- The Night (new album)

[Sheena]

New album “The Night” on its way.

The “single”, Half Light seems to follow the noodly pattern expected, but oddly clocks in at just under two minutes. It’s alright but doesn’t exactly thrill.

Much more interesting to me is bonus track Daydream, which is a Sarah led piece of beautifulness. But also its status as either bonus track on the “single” suggests it might be thrown out to appease those wanting proper vocal pop songs, with the rest likely noodly noodlesome album fare.

(The tracks have been on Apple Music for a few hours so have had a few plays. Other streaming services available).

 

[Sheena]

Two vinyl editions on the Saint Etienne store, limited editions (of course) and an extra bonus CD per order with six new tracks.

 

[Sheena]

Available to purchase from 5pm GMT on Wednesday 20th November
Product ships globally in early December for delivery before Christmas

“The Night” is the brand new LP from Saint Etienne and is available to pre-order via this shop from 5pm GMT on Wednesday 20th November 2024.
Each order placed here comes with an exclusive free CD “Deep Into The Night” details of which are below.

14 new tracks recorded in Saltaire and Hove between January and August 2024 with co-producer Augustin Bousfield, “The Night” saw Bob, Pete and Sarah together in the studio for the first time since 2019.

Pete Wiggs: “It was great to all be in the same studio together again and we realised that it had been several years since we’d actually done that, sprawling out on the carpet, mugs of coffee in hand, sheets of lyrics and half ideas for titles lying around us.”

Bob Stanley “I think The Night sounds really three-dimensional. A lot of that is down to Gus Bousfield who played the guitars and did a wonderful production job recording much of it in his studio, with so much light and space, has helped to shape it too. The three of us brought in our own songs, but lyrically we were all in tune with each other without having to swap notes first. We wanted "The Night" to be a calming album, warm and serene, but at the same time we wanted to create something gorgeous and dense.”

Sarah Cracknell "“It was so good to be back in the studio together after recording the last album remotely. One of my favourite songs on the record is Preflyte, it made me cry when I sang it for the first time.”

This limited edition ‘Coke Bottle Green’ transparent vinyl is exclusive to the Saint Etienne shop and is sure to sell out - like our other special fan club offerings - within hours of going on sale.

Every order placed via this shop will receive a free copy of an exclusive 6-Track bonus CD “Deep Into The Night”.

“Deep Into The Night” won't be available elsewhere but please note that it's one copy per order, not one copy per item ordered.
So, for instance if you want to order a vinyl and a CD copy of the album together but want two bonus CD’s you will need to place two separate orders to receive those.


Saint Etienne “The Night”
HVNLP 233

Side One
1. Settle In
2. Half Light
3. Through The Glass
4. Nightingale
5. Northern Counties East
6. Ellar Carr
7. When You Were Young

Side Two
1. No Rush
2. Gold
3. Celestial
4. Preflyte
5. Wonderlight
6. Hear My Heart
7. Alone Together

Bonus CD - exclusive to this shop
“Deep Into The Night”
FO 024

1. Joaquin’s Dream
2. Bolla’s Island
3. The Far Plains
4. Little A
5. Cedar Of Lebanon
6. The Tony Miller Approach

 

[jyxz]

Woohoo fingers crossed that they don’t run out of the bonus cd when I remember to order

 

[Christian]

Half Light is wonderful. Very wintry and begging to be accompanied by a (short) stroll through the woods.

Daydream is lovely too.

 

[Jocasta Clun]

HOW EXCITING!

Sorry - I don't get out much a the moment

 

[octophone]

Woohoo fingers crossed that they don’t run out of the bonus cd when I remember to order

Don't worry, they'll reissue it in 8 years time as a 500-only 12" and wonder why their socials are full of people going wild at them.

 

[jyxz]

I’m sure they’re still ‘finding’ boxes of the subbuteo sets

 

[FetchFugly]

I'll buy but it is no to the St Et noodle for me.

Half Light is a pleasant interlude. I agree that Daydream is better, and of course that doesn't even make the bonus disc.

The quick and seemingly quiet release of this album does give me hope that the other, proper pop songs album will follow without too much of a delay next year.

 

[BoysForSeles]

I didn’t feel in the mood for Half Light earlier but will try again, I will buy this in a “it’ll tide me over to the 2025 release” kinda way.

I’m four albums into my at least one St Et album per day phase. Tomorrow I’ll revisit either Finisterre or The Sound Of Water.

 

[Sheena]

I'll buy but it is no to the St Et noodle for me.

Half Light is a pleasant interlude. I agree that Daydream is better, and of course that doesn't even make the bonus disc.

The quick and seemingly quiet release of this album does give me hope that the other, proper pop songs album will follow without too much of a delay next year.

Martin has said today in a FB response under the announcement that there are (I paraphrase) plenty of pop songs in the can, sooner than you think sjd like you’ve never heard from the Et before/ they’re gonna knock your socks off…

Which bodes well.

 

[Sheena]

I didn’t feel in the mood for Half Light earlier but will try again, I will buy this in a “it’ll tide me over to the 2025 release” kinda way.

I’m four albums into my at least one St Et album per day phase. Tomorrow I’ll revisit either Finisterre or The Sound Of Water.

Take me back to hearing Finisterre for the first time. My summer forever album. Even though it was released in October and it was the summer after that it reminds me of, but it’s always there for me, with a lazy, hazy, country drive kind of thing going on….

 

[Sheena]

Today I woke up and chose Words and Music, but then I often do.

“Lights.
I see them far away.
There’s so many lights.
The colours and the voices drift my way.”

 

[FetchFugly]

Heading For The Fair was instantly my favourite from that album. Mysterious, bittersweet and thrilling too.

 

[FetchFugly]

I'm still not over them putting out absolute classic Et banger Broken Bricks on a limited 'fan club' release:

 

[Sheena]

Heading For The Fair was instantly my favourite from that album. Mysterious, bittersweet and thrilling too.

It’s beautiful. It’s the sort of stuff that Sarah does so well. Almost sweet, but with an undertone. The opening playground/ fairground/ nursery sounds carry threat. It’s beautifully done.

 

[Sheena]

I'm still not over them putting out absolute classic Et banger Broken Bricks on a limited 'fan club' release:

I played the album this week- it’s so good. They really do piss away stuff. I’m presuming none of it is even on streaming?

Broken Bricks is the highlight, but I also found myself very much enjoying After The Rain and Terribly Sorry, the latter of which has “lovely bside” written all over it.

 

[FetchFugly]

I played the album this week- it’s so good. They really do piss away stuff. I’m presuming none of it is even on streaming?

Broken Bricks is the highlight, but I also found myself very much enjoying After The Rain and Terribly Sorry, the latter of which has “lovely bside” written all over it.

I was just looking at their Spotify. Very bare bones... standard versions of the albums and recentish singles only.

Their current top five is all first album era and Wood Cabin for some reason.

 

[VoR]

It so annoys me that the lovely Hate Your Drug isn’t on Spotify despite being on a version of the main Tiger Bay tracklist back in the day. I’ve tweeted Bob about it in the past but no reply.

He only lives up the road from me these days, so I’m half tempted to go to one of his frequent record events and ask him to his face.

 

[Sheena]

It so annoys me that the lovely Hate Your Drug isn’t on Spotify despite being on a version of the main Tiger Bay tracklist back in the day. I’ve tweeted Bob about it in the past but no reply.

He only lives up the road from me these days, so I’m half tempted to go to one of his frequent record events and ask him to his face.

Hate Your Drug is definitely on Apple Music as the Tiger Bay deluxe edition is- I played it this morning.

 

[Sheena]

It feels like keeping the fan club music for the releases only is a bit old fashioned. I don’t think anyone is going to be upset by paying for a physical product and then finding it on streaming and I also don’t think they’re going to lose (m)any sales considering they limited edition everything ANYWAY.

 

[BoysForSeles]

^ yes, considering, I imagine, they probably have an exclusively physical product buying fanbase who would also make up most of their streaming numbers too.

The fanclub idea is a nice throwback notion, perhaps it could be used for priority concert tickets before general sale etc instead or behind the scenes stuff but perhaps that already happens.

 

[Jocasta Clun]

I just remembered this but HOW MANY FUCKING 'SHOPS' AND WEBSITES DO THEY HAVE?

 

[Jocasta Clun]

Oh it's later today anyway. AS YOU WERE

 

[jyxz]

I see their latest Facebook post mentioned some long lost stock

 

[jyxz]

But yes - must remember to log on later for LOLZ

 

[jyxz]

I think the bonus cd sleeve is of the Mersey

 

[FetchFugly]

CD purchased.

Black vinyl and CD now showing as sold out.

 

[jyxz]

CD purchased.

Black vinyl and CD now showing as sold out.

I got the cd just before 5pm. Glad I did now!

 

[Jocasta Clun]

Forgot for 45 minutes and that's that. I'll just have to download the whole lot from SOULSEEK then. Your loss darlings, it's ALL THE SAME TO ME.

 

[jyxz]

Forgot for 45 minutes and that's that. I'll just have to download the whole lot from SOULSEEK then. Your loss darlings, it's ALL THE SAME TO ME.

Keep trying. The cd went out of stock at and then came back again.

 

[FetchFugly]

OF COURSE



No doubly noodly bonus disc though.

 

[Jocasta Clun]

*fart sound*

 

[FetchFugly]

The CD turned up today, nice and early. I haven't played the bonus disc yet but of the main album tracks I am predictably drawn most to the more song based ones like Nightingale and Preflyte especially.

I'll need to be in a certain mood but I do think I'm much more likely to come back to this than the last album.

 

[Sheena]

After all the moans online about people not being able to get the limited vinyl editions, they’ve managed to send out duplicate copies to most people due to a “glitch” and have asked people to mail them back.

You couldn’t make it up at this point

 

[FetchFugly]

Oh dear. Shit is most definitely not together.

I only received one set of the CDs. I think the only duplicate I've ever got from them is a Christmas card

 

[Sheena]

I’ve not bothered with the CD this time around. I’m even debating selling my Saint Etienne collection. I haven’t added anything other than new stuff to it in a while and I get tired of the endless reissuing and coloured variants.

I’ll keep most of the vinyl, mind.

 

[Sheena]

I’m also yet to receive my order so haven’t heard it either.

 

[Sheena]

So it's reluctant I say this, but I kind of thought "meh" on my first (FINALLY) listen last night. It was just the SAME OLD NOODLING that it feels like we've had going on for QUITE SOME TIME. I'm bored of Sarah's spoken word OHSOMEANINGFUL schtick as well, I think. Anyway, I played it once and didn't bother again- which is unheard of for Saint Etienne for me. I'll give it another go today, I expect, and hopefully it's just a mood thing and will grow on me.

I haven't played the bonus disc either. Was hoping it turns up somewhere as I don't actually have a cd player anymore other than a portable one which I can connect to the computer and that's just a FAFF.

 

[jyxz]

Mine arrived on Friday but I asked for it as a Xmas gift so it’s been held hostage by Mr jyxz. I made him check that there were two cds. Happy to rip a copy if you’re still empty handed by then @Sheena Baby