Dexys announce new album and share upbeat first single ‘I’m Going To Get Free’

nme.com:

Dexys – formerly known as Dexys Midnight Runners – have announced their first new album in over a decade, and shared the lead single ‘I’m Going To Get Free’.

Check it out below.Only the second studio album to be released under the shortened name, ‘The Feminine Divine’ marks the pop veterans’ first new material in 11 years – following on from their 2012 release ‘One Day I’m Going To Soar’.Due out on July 28, the upcoming album combines both Dexys classic pop sound, along with a new synth-heavy approach.

According to the band, the first half of the album sees the members channel some of their most popular hits, while the latter half verges into a more experimental territory and is a “saucy, synth-heavy cabaret” unlike anything they have released before.“After taking some time out to refocus his energy, Kevin Rowland came back to music with a fresh perspective and new-found positivity,” read a press statement. “A personal, if not strictly autobiographical, record portraying a man whose views have evolved over time.

Not just on women, but the whole concept of masculinity he had been raised with.”Today (April 3) also marks the release of the album’s lead single, ‘I’m Going To Get Free’.According to the band, the upbeat single channels the story of a character striving to escape from mental health issues and opt for a more positive outlook on life. “The character is optimistically breaking free from internalised trauma, depression and guilt,” said Rowland.Written in collaboration with Sean Read, Mike Timothy and original Dexy’s trombonist Big Jim Paterson, the album was produced by Pete Schwier and acclaimed session musician, Toby Chapman.