Soft Cell’s ‘Out Come The Freaks’ signals the duo’s final album following Dave Ball’s passing

With the synthesiser and songwriting legend Dave Ball’s sad passing last year, the news came shortly after Soft Cell duo Marc Almond and Dave Ball had announced they’d been working on a new album. Titled ‘Danceteria’, there was initial debate about whether or not it should be released at all. I’m personally delighted to hear new music from the duo, and will view it as a bookmark celebration of Dave Ball’s life.

‘Out Come The Freaks’ is the lead single, and is a cover of (Not Was)’s 1981 track “Out Come The Freaks”. It features Nona Hendryx on vocals alongside Almond’s unimitable voice and basks in its retro throwback sound. The beats are mixed with saxophone solos, spoken word verses, and lots of keyboard trills that paint the musical palette. The bassy chorus refrain is catchy and wubby, and the uptempo mix of funk, disco, and house reminds me heavily of the Memorabilia Soft Cell era. You’ll find hints of their darker synthpop sound hiding in the mix, but this is a celebratory party first. Whilst this is definitely far happier than my usual music circles, I can completely appreciate the musical prowess on show. Raise a glass to the legend.

The single ‘Out Comes The Freaks’ is out now. Whilst the release date for Danceteria hasn’t been shared yet, you can keep track of the cavalcade of releases and latest news on Soft Cell’s website.

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