After a six-year hiatus following their lauded Top 4-charting release ‘The Punishment Of Luxury’, synth legends Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) are making a triumphant return with their upcoming studio album, ‘Bauhaus Staircase’, set to drop on 27th October.
Leading the album’s debut is the title track, a salute to Andy McCluskey’s affinity for the Bauhaus era and the compelling potency of protest art. Released alongside an animated video, the track pays homage to strength and artistic passion in the face of critique and adversity. McCluskey remarks, “The song is a metaphor for strength and artist passion in the face of criticism and adversity. When times are hard, there is a tendency for Governments to look at cutting funding for creativity, just at the moment when the arts are most needed to nourish our souls. It seems appropriate that the song and its eponymous album were created during Covid Lockdown.”
Rooted in a desire to merge the essence of Stockhausen and Abba, ‘Bauhaus Staircase’ emerged as OMD’s most overtly political offering to date, conceived during the creative awakening of the pandemic-induced lockdown. Andy McCluskey’s moment of epiphany occurred as he reconnected with the creative power borne from utter monotony.
The album is primarily the brainchild of both McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, the latter of whom has recently embraced fatherhood once again. The production was further enriched by the influence of David Watts, renowned for his rock production, most notably in helming The Reytons’ recent No 1 album and contributing mixing work on two tracks of OMD’s new record.
Spanning a gamut of sonic experiences, ‘Bauhaus Staircase’ encompasses the noir elegance of ‘Veruschka’, the introspective ‘Anthropocene’ which alludes to the current epoch, the enigmatic ‘Evolution Of Species’, and the fervent ‘Kleptocracy’, a vibrant protest anthem. The album concludes with the serene ‘Healing’, a rare co-write featuring lyrics by Liverpool singer-songwriter Caroline England and production by ATOM TM.
With an impressive tally of 25 million singles and 15 million albums sold, OMD have indelibly etched their legacy as electronic synthesizer pioneers and cherished British pop icons. Their discography boasts 13 albums, including classics like ‘Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’ (1980), ‘Organisation’ (1980), ‘Architecture & Morality’ (1981), and ‘Dazzle Ships’ (1983).
“I’m very happy with what we’ve done on this record,” McCluskey summarises. “I’m comfortable if this is OMD’s last statement.”
‘Bauhaus Staircase’ – Tracklisting:
Bauhaus Staircase
Anthropocene
Look At You Now
G.E.M.
Where We Started
Veruschka
Slow Train
Don’t Go
Kleptocracy
Aphrodite’s Favourite Child
Evolution Of Species
Healing
