Courteeners announce new album ‘Pink Cactus Café’ and share new single
Manchester indie stalwarts Courteeners have announced their return with new album, Pink Cactus Café, which they have teased with comeback track, ‘Solitude Of The Night Bus’.
Their last album, More. Again. Forever., was unfortunately released shortly before the world came to a halt in 2020, preventing them from fully touring the record. Still, the unwanted opportunity did provide frontman Liam Fray with the chance to begin work on more material. After four years, the LP is now finally set for release.
Despite ‘Solitude Of The Night Bus’ being their first new song since 2020, Courteeners have continued to tour during this time, including a sold-out show at Manchester’s Heaton Park in 2023 which saw 50,000 people celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut album, St. Jude. Furthermore, in 2021, they headlined Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
However, the five-piece are now looking forward rather than getting nostalgic the past, and the catchy electro-pop ‘Solitude Of The Night Bus’ represents a shift in a new direction for Courteeners, who are finished clinging on to past glories.
In a statement, Fray explained how the track was born during a dark time in his life when he felt aimless, noting, “This came at a time of real questioning. Things weren’t going particularly well. No confidence. No direction. I think that’s why – whisper it – it’s on the fun side. This is the new us.”
For the track, he teamed up with Ola Modupe-Ojo, who previously worked with Courteeners on ‘Hanging Off Your Cloud’ and the singer says “there was just a magic in the room that was irresistible.” Fray added of ‘Solitude Of The Night Bus’: “It’s a summer breeze. But it’s a winter’s night. Either way, sometimes you have to block out the noise. My late Uncle Pat loved a whistle so it’s a bit of a homage to him. Get on the bus; headphones in; go your own way. It’s the feel good, imposter syndrome hit of the summer.”
Notably, Pink Cactus Café, which is set for release on October 25th through Ignition Records, features an array of special guests, including Australian trio DMA’s, rising indie-soul singer Brooke Combe, The Coral’s James and Ian Skelly and Hurts frontman Theo Hutchcraft.
The collaborative approach was a result of Fray not knowing whether the batch of songs would end up becoming a new Courteeners album, a side project or the start of a solo career. “Everything was up in the air. So, it wasn’t necessarily a Courteeners SOUND…I started reaching out on my Indie Rolodex as a bit of fun really, and it’s ended up being the most collaborative and rewarding thing we’ve ever done. It’s a real collage of an album, we threw everything into the melting pot,” he remarked.
‘Solitude Of The Night Bus’ will almost certainly be aired during Courteeners’ upcoming set at TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow on July 13th before the band take to the road later this year for a full tour, with dates set to be announced imminently.
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