Saint Etienne

The group aren’t splitting up as such - they still remain the best of friends after 35 years recording together – but they don’t feel like they want to go on forever and wanted to go out with a bang. Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs have known each other since childhood and started the group in 1990 with their classic cover of Neil Young’s ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’. Sarah Cracknell joined for their third single ’Nothing Can Stop Us’ and the Foxbase Alpha album in 1991. Since then they have branched out into films, books and curation, and became artists in residence at the Southbank Centre. The group simply feels it is now time to draw a line under new recordings. For International, the trio decided to ask friends, heroes and contemporaries to collaborate with them. That list included Confidence Man (who they discovered were St Et superfans after they played together at Kite Festival in 2022). ‘Brand New Me' feels like a rebooted 1991 gem – think ‘Nothing Can Stop Us’ meets ‘Groove Is In The Heart’ – and features Sarah duetting with Confidence Man’s Janet Planet. You’ll hear other collaborators on ‘Sweet Melodies’ (Erol Alkan), ‘Two Lovers’ (Vince Clarke), ‘The Go Betweens’ (a duet with Nick Heyward), ‘Take Me To The Pilot’ (Paul Hartnoll of Orbital) and ‘Dancing Heart’ and ‘He’s Gone’, a brace co-written and produced with Tim Powell of Xenomania.