Morrissey: new album on the way, tracklist announced

Morrissey has posted the tracklist of a new album on his official website, accompanied by the Sire Records logo, the label with which he recently signed a deal. The move comes a week after the December 19th announcement, which had reignited hopes for a finally imminent release of "Bonfire Of Teenagers", the album completed years ago but never officially released. On Christmas Day, however, the former The Smiths frontman wrong-footed fans by releasing a list of twelve tracks, with no indication of the album's title, release date, or overall concept.

Several elements suggest this isn't "Bonfire Of Teenagers". The tracklist doesn't include "Rebels Without Applause", the single released in 2022 and linked to that project, nor do any other titles associated with that album appear. Everything points to the existence of an entirely separate work.

This reading is further supported by comments Morrissey himself made last year to Medium. On that occasion the artist revealed he had completed a second new album, which had also been shelved: "The second one was re-recorded in France at the end of 2023 and given a new title. We dropped half the songs and recorded six new ones, so it's not the early-2023 album."

If these indications are confirmed, the project just previewed could represent a new chapter in his discography, separate from the troubled saga surrounding "Bonfire Of Teenagers". It remains to be seen whether, and when, this new work will actually see the light of day.

 

 

 

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Signing a new deal with Sire Records has finally resolved a situation that had been dragging on since December 2022, when Morrissey announced he had "voluntarily" severed all ties with Capitol Records. The decision came as a surprise, given that just two months earlier the same artist had named that very label as the album's official home. Around the same time, Morrissey also revealed that Miley Cyrus had asked for her vocal parts to be removed from the track "I Am Veronica," recorded back in 2020.

The splits with Capitol and with Cyrus played out against a backdrop already heavily tainted by controversy over the singer's political stances, in particular his support for the British far-right party For Britain, whose badge he wore during a television appearance in 2019. The episode fuelled heated debate and even led Johnny Marr to state that such positions "have cast a shadow over the Smiths".

Morrissey has always rejected the label of far-right artist. Last summer he returned to the "Bonfire Of Teenagers" saga with a lengthy statement posted on his website, accusing Capitol Records of "fascism" and of fostering an increasingly widespread "culture of censorship". On that occasion he claimed he had come to believe the label wanted to release the album "with the sole intent of sabotaging it". At present there is no official confirmation of the terms of any deal with Sire Records, nor of a release date for the album. Still, after years of deadlock, the mere appearance of a logo is a concrete signal. If nothing else, it suggests the "Bonfire Of Teenagers" chapter may not be definitively closed.

“Bonfire Of Teenagers” is also expected to feature guests such as Chad Smith and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as Iggy Pop. Speaking last year about the album's troubled gestation, Morrissey said: “It's been quite traumatic and sad, because when you record something you want it to be available right away, and this felt very timely. To me it was something very personal, and the fact that it hasn't been released has been torture.”

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