Iconic punk rock royalty, Blondie are back with “High Noon”, their long-awaited twelfth studio album and first collection of new material in nine years, set to be released February 26, 2027 via BMG. The first single, infectious album opener “Spectral Eyes” is out now.
For “High Noon”, Blondie once again open the door to a broad mix of sounds, ideas and collaborators. Rock & roll and punk sit alongside dance music and Latin rhythms, with contributions from Johnny Marr, Glen Matlock, Zach Condon of Beirut, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius and others woven throughout the album.
“High Noon” also marks the final recording of Blondie co-founding drummer Clem Burke. At the outset of recording, the band had no way of knowing the significance the album would later carry. Following Burke’s passing, the record has taken on additional meaning for the band and serves as a document of one of rock music’s longest-running creative partnerships.
“This album is classic Blondie – an amalgamation of all our different influences and eras into something new,” says Debbie Harry. “This music feels grounded in the present, shaped by who we are and how we’re living now.”
“It’s been a long, strange ride, and somehow here we are with another Blondie album,” says Chris Stein. “I’m not sure what the fuck I’m supposed to say at this point, except that we’re incredibly grateful for all your support over the years.”
Leading “High Noon” is the driving “Spectral Eyes”, written by Johnny Marr, who also contributes guitar to the song. The song pairs crystalline riffs with a steady beat and a bright, hypnotic chorus, setting the tone for the album to follow. Energetic, enigmatic and unmistakably Blondie, ‘Spectral Eyes’ finds the band doing what they have always done best: stretching their sound without losing sight of what makes it their own.
Sessions for “High Noon” began in 2022, with the band recording in New York City alongside producer John Congleton [St. Vincent, The War On Drugs, The Killers], who previously worked with Blondie on their critically acclaimed 2017 album Pollinator. Much of the material was tracked together in the same room, reflecting the collaborative approach that has long defined the band. David Wrench [Florence and the Machine, Jamie XX, Frank Ocean, Bon Iver] later joined for additional production and mixing.
The visual world of “High Noon” was conceived by artist and director Rob Roth, who has collaborated creatively with Blondie for more than 25 years, dating back to 1999’s No Exit. For “High Noon”, Roth mixes cinematic imagery, analog textures and contemporary references into a visual language that draws on Blondie’s history without being bound by it. That world will continue to unfold through the album’s visuals, including an upcoming short film created and directed by Roth, featuring music from “High Noon”.
“I wanted to create something unexpected, but something that still feels quintessentially Blondie,” says Roth. “”High Noon” exists in its own world – somewhere between the past, present and future. There are references to different eras and the band’s history, all mixed together to create something that feels both familiar and new.”
That same interplay between past and present also runs through the music itself. Highlights include ‘Heartbreak Kid’, written by Chris Stein with Johnny Thunders in mind, looks back toward the band’s downtown New York roots, while ‘Sleepwalking’, written by Glen Matlock, brings a gritty punk energy. ‘Man Who Had No Face’, written by Stein and Harry, pairs pulsating keys and electric guitar with one of Harry’s most vivid lyrics on the record. The band also revisits ‘Little Metal Drummer’ originally recorded by Blondie co-founding keyboardist Jimmy Destri for his solo debut ‘Heart On A Wall’, with both Harry and Clem Burke having performed on the original recording.
More than fifty years after emerging from New York’s downtown music scene, Blondie continue to reach new generations of artists and audiences, and their influence extends beyond music into fashion, film, art and popular culture. “High Noon” shows why: the band remains as curious and open to new ideas and sounds as they have been from the beginning.
“High Noon” will be available on black vinyl and CD, with a limited-edition crystal clear ecovinyl available at select retailers. The official Blondie stores will also offer an exclusive limited-edition red vinyl and cassette, along with merchandise bundles.
“HIGH NOON” TRACKLISTING:
1. Spectral Eyes
2. Heartbreak Kid
3. Come Back Home
4. Tambo Tambo
5. Man Who Had No Face
6. The End
7. Little Metal Drummer
8. Sleepwalking
9. Whistle Into The Wind
10. Antifreeze
11. East of Eden
12. Bad Underwear
13. Ah, Sunflower, Weary of Time
photo credit: Maddy Rotman
About Blondie
Blondie has occupied a singular place in music and popular culture for more than five decades, and remains undeniably one of the most trailblazing, influential and culturally enduring bands of our time. Emerging from New York City’s downtown scene in the 1970s, the band moved freely between punk, new wave, disco, pop and hip-hop, to become a true global icon whose influence has both shaped and continues to inform the cultural conversation across generations, in the worlds of music, fashion, art and beyond. From an irreverent Lower East Side punk outfit to bonafide international ambassadors of New York cool. Their chart-topping success, fearless spirit and rare longevity led to an induction into the Rock‘N’Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, more than 40 million albums sold worldwide, two UK #1 albums, six UK #1 singles, and more. As Blondie stride into the next chapter with High Noon, they once again reaffirm their status as one of the world’s most enduring, bold, and influential bands of all-time.
