UK proto-sophistipop post-punk OGs The Monochrome Set are back with their 17th album, Lotus Bridge, that will be out March 13 via Tapete. Frontman Bid co-produced the album with engineer John Clayton and features original Set bassist Andy Warren alongside Stephen Gilchrist on drums and Athen Ayren on keyboards. The album's themes were born out of a dream Bid had when the band were talking about making a new album.
The album was produced by the band's Daniel Hunt with sessions in Liverpool, São Paulo, Montrose, Dalston, and London, with mixing duties handled by longtime collaborator Jim Abbiss. While always an electronic band, Ladytron have made their most dancefloor-forward album with Paradises. "There's an itch we never scratched," Hunt says, "which is that despite our origins in the DJ world, we never actually made a 'disco' record. Albeit, 'disco' in our context has a somewhat different meaning."
Every summer I go to France because I can't stand the news. I can't stand hearing about that man every minute of every day. They're completely obsessed by him in the US. It's like they're addicted to him.
Stereophonics are performing at Finsbury Park this Friday, July 4, as part of their ongoing 2025 UK tour. This is their only London stop and it promises to be a big one.