The widely beloved UK trio Saint Etienne have experimented with so many different pop styles over a decades-long career, and now they're getting ready to say goodbye. On Friday, Saint Etienne will release International, their final album. The record features a bunch of collaborators, and we have already posted the singles "Glad," co-produced by the Chemical Brothers' Tom Rowland, and "Take Me To The Pilot," co-produced by Orbital's Paul Hartnoll. Today, they're giving us one last advance single. I guess that means that this new song could be the last Saint Etienne single we'll ever get. That's sad.
As you may have heard, Winona Ryder loves Saint Etienne. So do the two members of the Australian dance duo Confidence Man. Both members of Confidence Man were Saint Etienne fans growing up, and the two groups met up and bonded backstage at Kite Festival a few years ago. Now, they've joined forces on "Brand New Me," a playful, shimmering pop song with a distinctly early-'90s groove. Confidence Man recently collaborated with Kylie Minogue and JADE, so they know how to play well with others, and it's a blast to hear Confidence Man's Janet Planet and Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell share the mic over a lush, breakbeat-driven mid-tempo jam. In a press release, Cracknell says:
I got a message from Danny Mitchell at Heavenly Recordings, Saint Etienne’s spiritual home, about an Australian band they had signed called Confidence Man. Danny told me they were fans of our music and would love to meet and chat about a potential collaboration. We met backstage at a festival and immediately hit it off, kindred spirits! Making "Brand New Me" was a lot of fun, and I think it’s a perfect mash up of both our band’s styles.
Below, check out directors Kyle Platts and Matt Lloyd's animated video for "Brand New Me."
International is out 9/5 on Heavenly.
