Soft Cell’s swan song, Danceteria, has been set for release on September 25, via Republic of Music. The album’s existence was revealed last October, when the duo’s co-founder Dave Ball died at the age of 66. The title track arrives today, with a video by the collage artist Vicki Bennett. Watch that below.
Marc Almond said in a press release, “Danceteria is a love letter to New York in the early ’80s,” including the storied Manhattan nightclub of the same name. “The time we spent in New York—where we recorded our first three albums—shaped us both as artists and people. To celebrate this period is a fitting farewell to Dave Ball and the final Soft Cell studio album.” He added, “There can be no more recordings of Soft Cell without Dave, it would not be possible. The sad reality is that Dave Ball was half of Soft Cell, and live work aside, I can’t write Soft Cell songs without him.”
At the time of Ball’s death, Almond wrote in a statement, “It’s so sad as 2026 was all set to be such an uplifting year for him, and I take some solace from the fact that he heard the finished record and felt that it was a great piece of work. Dave’s music is better than ever. His tunes and hooks are still unmistakably Soft Cell, yet he always took it to the next level too.”
Soft Cell are currently touring North America with the Human League and Alison Moyet on the Generations Tour.
Danceteria:
01 Elusive
02 Danceteria
03 The Space Inside
04 Times Square
05 Two of a Kind
06 The Rainbow Room
07 in Heaven (When I Dance With You)
08 Decadence Is Hard Work
09 Crackland
10 What Is Your Morality
11 Losing Yourself
12 After Hours
13 Wave to America
14 Out Come the Freaks
