Saint Etienne’s 13th and final album, International, gives listeners a bittersweet farewell to finish off the group’s 35-year career.
Saint Etienne is a three-member group formed in 1990 London by co-writers Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. Their original plan was to feature a variety of lead singers, but they decided to make Sarah Cracknell their official vocalist after working with her on their 1991 single “Nothing Can Stop Us.”
Their new album is a fantastic end to their time together. It showcases their signature indie and synth pop sound with such recent singles as “Glad,” “Take Me To The Pilot,” and “Brand New Me.”
The first single, “Glad,” which was co-written by Tom Rowlands of the electronic duo The Chemical Brothers, is an upbeat and optimistic track to open the experience and set the tone for the rest of the album.
The instrumentals in “Sweet Melodies” hold true to the group’s habitual usage of a ’60s-style sound, and they are overlayed with Cracknell’s somewhat eerie vocals. The song serves as an appreciation for New York, Paris, and London
In their closing track, “The Last Time,” the group looks back on how much things have changed over time. It highlights experiences like reaching out to high school friends just to find out they had nothing in common.
