New Wave throwback: New Crowded House album, Modern English tours


Crowded House

It’s a wave back to New wave music.

Two musical figures from the New Wave era of the 80’s have geared up.

Crowded House has just released a new single titled “Playing With Fire.”  The Australian band is active once again and is even set to release a new album in early June 2021.

“This song was formed out of a Crowded House jam, live in the studio but then evolved its character through many twists and turns during quarantine in 2020,” said lead singer-guitarist Neil Finn of the new single.

He also added: “’Playing With Fire” carries within it the contradiction I often feel on joyous occasions, the presence of hope together with an impending sense of doom.”

Said track is a mid-tempo pop rocker that sounds like classic Crowded House with some 60’s-pop elements, brass, and modern rock thrown in.  

The new single is also a nod to the current state of the world. The accompanying music video sees Crowded House, Neil, brothers Liam and Elroy Finn, Mitchell Froom and Nick Seymour, playing in sparsely-attended theatre with just the oddball collection of cyclists-as-the-brass-section, a choir, and the lone cigar-toting audience.

Crowded House was recording new songs before the first lockdown hit in March of 2020. The band continued working on the album “swapping files and making those tracks complete,” Finn said.

Crowded House has previously released singles “Whatever You Want,” and “To The Island.” The upcoming album will be their full record in a decade.

Meanwhile, Modern English has rescheduled their U.S. tour in support of the anniversary of their 1982 album “After The Snow.” Said album was a breakout hit for the U.K. band and includes their much-loved hit “I Melt With You.”

Modern English

Modern English was originally set to tour back in 2020 but had to cancel because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new schedule of the tour will start on August 31 in Minneapolis, and will run for a little over two weeks that will take the band to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Modern English will cap the tour with a three-night run in Massachussetts.

On each show, Modern English will perform their 1982 album “After The Snow” in its entirety as well as other hits. “We can’t wait to explode back on stage. It’s been a tough year for everyone and we want to bring some energy and excitement to everybody,” lead singer Robbie Grey said.