New album due Oct 21st via BMG
Simple Minds has announced their 18th studio album, Direction of the Heart, due October 21st via BMG. The album’s first single, “Vision Thing,” is available now digitally.
Currently playing acclaimed shows throughout Europe, the project is Simple Minds’ first album of new material since 2018’s UK Top 5 album Walk Between Worlds.
Throughout its nine tracks, Direction of The Heart finds the band at their most confident, anthemic best on an inspired celebration of life, none more so than on lead track. “Vision Thing” is the opening track that sets the pace for a concise nine-track album.
Most of the album’s tracks were created and demoed in Sicily, where both frontman Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill live. Unable to come to the UK because of quarantine rules, the album was recorded at Hamburg’s Chameleon Studios. Here they produced the album – later enlisting Andy Wright (Massive Attack, Echo & The Bunnymen) and Gavin Goldberg (Simply Red, KT Tunstall) for additional production. Band members, bassist Ged Grimes (who co-wrote two of the new songs, “First You Jump” and “Solstice Kiss”), drummer Cherisse Osei and vocalist Sarah Brown joined them on some of the tracks, recording their parts separately in London. Album guests include, Sparks’ frontman Russell Mael on “Human Traffic” and songwriter and former Grimes music partner from Danny Wilson, Gary Clark on “Vision Thing,” “First You Jump” and “Natural,” recorded their respective parts in home studios.
All of this disparate work is belied by an album which sounds like a cohesive record – one of the most exciting and invigorating of Simple Minds career to date.
