Back in September, synthpop legends New Order announced that they had signed to Mute Records, and in a new interview with Rolling Stone, the band has revealed that its first album for the label can be expected for fall 2015. This new album, which has yet to be given a title, will be New Order's first with their new five-piece lineup, which includes Bad Lieutenant's Phil Cunningham and Tom Chapman. The album also sees the return of keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, who left the band following their 2001 album Get Ready.
"We've become songwriters instead of instrumentalists," frontman Bernard Sumner said about the album and the instrumental flexibilty that the new lineup allows. "The lines have gotten a bit blurrier than they used to be." As for what the new album will sound like, Sumner promises that the album will have "an orchestral feel" alongside their typical blend of electropop, rock and dance music.
This new album will be New Order's 10th overall, their first since 2013's Lost Sirens, which was a collection of outtakes from their 2005 album Waiting for the Sirens' Call. It will also be the band's first album without bassist and founding member Peter Hook, who left acrimoniously in 2007 and has gone on to tour as Peter Hook and The Light, performing Joy Division and New Order albums in their entirety.
"We used to just play for hours jamming in the studio and then find a bit — a second — that wasn't bad," drummer/keyboardist Stephen Morris said about the band's songwriting process. "Now we've become a bit more professional in recording, for better or for worse. We're streamlined."
So far, two new songs have been completed for the album: "Plastic" and "Restless." You can check out a live performance of "Plastic" here:
Are you excited for the next New Order album? Let us know how you feel down in the comments section.
