British band Everything But The Girl (EBTG) have released their first new music in over two decades. New single Nothing Left To Lose is the band’s first new music in 24 years.
Fans of the band got excited late last year when singer Tracey Thorn shared that she and husband Ben Watt would be sharing a new album after a long hiatus. The upcoming album will be titled Fuse and the first offering is a low-key electronic track that showcased Thorn’s distinctive vocals.
Thorn and Watt met in 1982 when they were university students in Hull. They were both up-and-coming musicians and were signed to the same record label, Cherry Red.
Thorn was a member of indie band Marine Girls, while Watt was signed as a solo artist. They recorded a cover of a Cole Porter classic Night and Day as a one-off single, naming their collaboration Everything But The Girl. The name was inspired by a local furniture shop that had a slogan saying everything was for sale, everything but the girl.
When their single was successful the couple were signed to record an album and their debut Eden came out in 1984. Together they would go on to record five albums of contemporary jazz infused music.
In the early 1990’s the couple’s lives were interrupted when Watt was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that saw him spend 10 weeks in hospital and undergo several life-saving operations. He later wrote the excellent memoir Patient about his near-death experience.
When they returned to the music scene their next record Amplified Heart showcased a new sound, a mix of acoustic instruments and electronica. When DJ Todd Terry created a remix of their song Missing it became a global dance smash.
Around the same time Tracey Thorn collaborated with Massive Attack appearing on their second album, singing the title track on their Protection album. The band’s following record Walking Wounded focused on the emerging drum and bass sound, and their ninth and most recent album Temperamental also continued the move into dance music.
The couple then returned to their solo careers after nearly 20 years of working as a duo. Watt set up the dance music label Buzzin’ Fly and became a sought-after DJ and remixer, while Thorn began to release solo records, putting out four albums between 2007 and 2018. In 2009 they also got married, the couple have three children together.
Alongside her music career Thorn has also become a respected writer, publishing four books and writing a regular column for The New Statesman.
In an interview with NME the duo said they just felt it was the right time to start making music together again, but wouldn’t commit to returning to touring or making more music together in the future.
The new album will feature 10 new tunes, Nothing Left To Lose, Run A Red Light, Caution To The Wind, When You Mess Up, Time And Time Again, No One Knows We’re Dancing, Lost, Forever, Interior Space and Karaoke.
Read OUTinPerth’s 2012 interview with Tracey Thorn.
OIP Staff, image: Edward Bishop
You can support our work by subscribing to our Patreon
or contributing to our GoFundMe campaign.
 have released their first new music in over two decades. Nothing Left To Lose is the band's first new music in 24 years.){kind=link}