''The Neon'' is the eighteenth studio album by English

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

duo

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

, released on 21 August 2020 by

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grinderm ...

. The album debuted at number four on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

with 8,394 copies sold in its first week. On 30 July 2021, Erasure released a companion remix album titled ''The Neon Remixed'', a double disc of remixes by

Octo Octa Maya Bouldry-Morrison, better known by her stage name Octo Octa, is an American house producer and DJ based in Brooklyn, New York. In 2016, Bouldry-Morrison came out as transgender, after having already gained prominence as an artist. Career O ...

Paul Humphreys Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who is best known for his contributions to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), a new wave band which he founded alongside Andy McCluskey in 1978. ...

, Gareth Jones and others. A new single was also contained within the album titled "Secrets". The album was released on CD and a limited-edition coloured vinyl.

Background

''The Neon'' was released on 21 August 2020 by

and is self-produced. The album was recorded in Atlanta and mixed in London. The band has stated that they tried to return to their original sounds. Clarke used some of his older synths and Bell described the new album as "going back to the beginning". The album cover was created by Paul A. Taylor. Bell said of the cover: "I love the effect of an old stone wall with a neon sign on it. To me, that always looks like the clashing of antiquity and modern-day." The lead single "Hey Now (Think I Got a Feeling)" received its UK premiere on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

's ''The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show''. "Fallen Angel" was released on 22 October 2020 as the album's third official single and debuted at number six on the UK Physical Singles Chart. The band has stated that they usually record 10 songs for each album, but this time around they recorded many more and the record company picked the best. The remaining will be released at some point. The album did not chart in the ''Billboard'' 200, but peaked at number 22 in the ''Billboard''

Current Album Sales The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

chart and number 7 on the ''Billboard''

Top Dance/Electronic Albums Top Dance/Electronic Albums, Dance/Electronic Albums (formerly Top Electronic Albums) is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States based on sales compiled by ...

chart.

Reception

The album has received generally positive reviews.

Track listing

''The Neon Remixed''

''The Neon Remixed'' is a two-disc set of remixes from ''The Neon'', released on 30 July 2021 by Mute Records. In addition to remixes, it also includes the single "Secrets". It debuted at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 2,255 units in its first week.

Background

Reception

Track listing

''The Neon Remixed''

Disc one

Disc two

Charts

References