Bristol's MODESTY BLAISE fuel holiday spirit on 'I'll Be Home For Xmas'

"Clever they are Modesty Blaise – they know just what to borrow, and just what to create. Most importantly – they know just how to blend and what a cocktail they create here on this album, from track to track, from strength to strength" ~ The Spill Magazine

"Modesty Blaise makes for cheeky pop perfection... Fantabulous dance-pop, Modesty Blaise will remind you that Brits are the king of wit and groovy retro-laced musical wanderings, not far from the mark set by Pulp back in the 90s" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

“A sublime sugar lump... captures what is great about charming English pop. Part C86 part 67 psych pop, a beautifully written slice of nostalgia" ~ Monolith Cocktail

"This will lure you in... This is the new Pulp - but with steller retro flair that, both sound and fashion-wise, runs deeper than Jarvis Cocker's own wardrobe" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

Bristol-based Avant indie pop outfit Modesty Blaise are ending 2021 in a blaze of Christmas delight with their new single 'I'll Be Home For Xmas', out now. They present their festival message in a buoyant poptastic festive video, produced by Dorothy Collins with support from cinematographer M.M. Van Dyke, and filmed at various locations and Factory Studios in Bristol.

Modesty Blaise have always wanted to make a Xmas record. Steeped in the traditions of the Spector/Wizzard school of huge productions, recording started in July 2021 at the height of summer, as all good Xmas records should. Many instruments and sessions later, this single came to fruition in late October as days grew shorter. Now it’s ready for you. Are you bringing the snow?

This release follows up ‘The Modesty Blaise’ LP (February 2021), their third release via German label From Lo-Fi to Disco! and first long-player in 20 years, having released their head-turning 'Melancholia' LP in 2001.

Modesty Blaise mastermind and vocalist Jonny Collins is joined here by David W. Brown (bass), Gregory Jones (guitars), Mark Bradley (drums), Alastair Jenkins (guitars) and Roger Huckle (violin).

"We’re not just making a tune for 2021, this is a conscious decision to make a timeless tune. All great Xmas records are timeless, from Wizzard to The Wombles, we play them every year. They do not age; they invoke Proustian memories of festive seasons past. We want to be part of your Xmas - so we’re coming home," says Jonny Collins.

"I always thought that nothing says Xmas quite like 2 drum kits, a massive tune and a baritone sax. We think this is the best Xmas record that you’ll have heard this side of the millennium, we’ve tried to make something timeless and we hope you agree. We want to be part of your festive season this year and in years to come."

Modesty Blaise have been around since 1993 in various guises. In that year, they recorded their debut single 'Christina Terrace' with Edwyn Collins at the helm, garnering them immediate success with a live appearance on ITV and inclusion among many end-of-year top music rankings. This acclaim however was not enough to quell the kind of internecine warfare that Modesty Blaise have become famous for. Line-up changes and deteriorating personal circumstances delved into an all-too-familiar spiral and it would be years until a full reformation.

Oher Modesty Blaise career highlights include supporting Robbie Williams at London's O2 Arena, inclusion in a Rough Trade compilation, an ITV company documentary on Jonny Collins, and a BBC Radio session involving seventeen people.

'I'll Be Home For Xmas' is available digitally via German label From Lo-Fi to Disco!with distribution by Broken Silence and can be found everywhere, including Spotify and Apple Music. 'The Modesty Blaise' LP can also be obtained on Bandcamp, with physical albums available from Rough Trade in the UK, hhv in Germany, Disk Union in Japan and directly from the label.

CREDITS
Written and produced by Jonny Collins
Recorded at Barton Regis Studio, Bristol, and Kenning Town Studio, Oxfordshire.
Mixed at The White House, Weston-super-Mare
Mastered by Martin Nichols at The White House
Cover artwork by Gregory Jones
Cinematography and photos by M M Van Dyke
Produced by Dorothy Collins
Released by From Lo-Fi To Disco!
Label code LC 29806, Catalogue Number lo-fi 024, ISRC DERB72100009
distributed by Broken Silence

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Modesty Blaise 'Girls Just Wanna Dance' from 'The Modesty Blaise' LP

“A sublime sugar lump of a single; a song that captures what is great about charming English pop. Part C86 part 67 psych pop, a beautifully written slice of nostalgia" ~ Monolith Cocktail

"This will lure you in, the same way that Roger Moore's The Saint and Emma Peel and John Steed's The Avengers did... This is the new Pulp - but with steller retro flair that, both sound and fashion-wise, runs deeper than Jarvis Cocker's own wardrobe" ~ Amplify Music Magazine

"Modesty Blaise makes for cheeky pop perfection... Fantabulous dance-pop, Modesty Blaise will remind you that Brits are the king of wit and groovy retro-laced musical wanderings, not far from the mark set by Pulp back in the 90s" ~
Big Takeover Magazine

Bristol-based avant indiepop outfit Modesty Blaise has announced that the impending release of a new album via German label From Lo-Fi to Disco! A baroque pop collection titled 'The Modesty Blaise', this is the band's third studio album and their first LP in 20 years since releasing their head-turning 'Melancholia' LP (2001), featuring hit single 'Carol Mountain'.

Ahead of this, they present the lead single 'Girls Just Wanna Dance', a perfect orchestral pop song and live favourite singalong that is more Music Hall than Dance Hall. A longtime set closer, ‘Blaise fans have been crying out for it to be recorded and here it finally is. You can bounce around your own kitchen to it and rip your own sink out just for fun.

This new release was preceded by a string of singles, including 'Natalie Vendredi' with its endearing nouvelle vague video, which will also be included on the album.

Modesty Blaise have been around for a few decades in various guises. After forming in late 1993, the band quickly recorded their debut single 'Christina Terrace' with the esteemed Edwyn Collins at the helm, garnering them immediate success with a live appearance on ITV and inclusion among many many end-of-year top music rankings. This acclaim however was not enough to quell the kind of internecine warfare that Modesty Blaise have become famous for.

After 'Melancholia', the band faced one delay after another with line-up changes and deteriorating personal circumstances. An all-too-familiar spiral, the years went by slowly but, no matter how bad it got, Jonny still had his guitars in his mum’s attic.

"When everyone else was in their bedrooms working on guitar solos and dreaming of being a rock god, I was reading biographies of Cole Porter and listening to Gershwin and Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin. I try to write concise things, with deliberate moves away from that where necessary," says frontman and songwriter Jonny Collins.

"Melody, arrangement and counter melodies... The 3 minute pop single is, I’d contest, the summit of great art. It is timeless, and we consistently get it wrong confusing art with commerce. If your art (or your pop record) sounds like today, it may sound like yesterday pretty soon. Pop iconoclasm".

Oher career highlights include supporting Robbie Williams at London's O2 Arena, inclusion in a Rough Trade compilation, an ITV company documentary on Jonny Collins, and a BBC Radio session involving seventeen people.

On February 5, 'Girls Just Wanna Dance' will be available digitally everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. 'The Modesty Blaise' album will be released on March 26 by from Lo-Fi to Disco! and distributed by Broken Silence (for Europe), Shellshock (for the UK), and Tedium House - Revolver USA and Midheaven mailorder (for North America).

THE PLAYERS
Jonny Collins – vocals
David W Brown – bass
Gregory Jones – guitars
Mark Bradley – drums
Alastair Jenkins – guitars
Roger MacDuff – violins
Jörn Elling Wuttke - mixing at Klangfabrik Frankfurt


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