Duran Duran, British rock, pop and new wave band formed in Birmingham in 1978, have gifted us with a brand new album. The newest album ‘Future Past’ was released on October 22nd 2021 and has burned through to new heights.

From a band that brought excellent songs as ‘ordinary world,’ ‘come undone,’ ‘planet earth,’ ‘hungry like the wolf’ and James Bond theme from 1985 movie A View To A Kill.

Featuring Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and a variety of other guests like their previous album ‘Paper Gods,’ the album doesn’t rely on the guests, but rather utilises them to allow the classic sounds to shine through along with moving forwards in time, developing into some killer tracks, punchy, enjoyable and emotionally moving. Some of the best work this year from any band.

Forward looking indeed. Hearing the nostalgic memories of the synths, guitar and general instrument work combined with a futuristic and developing mindset make for a challenging listen, as you are in the safety of previous albums and then shot into new territory and yet, Duran Duran pull it off fantastically.

I don’t like to promote 1 song off the new albums anymore than the others, but I have my favourites already. They are all great songs and the album clocks in at a listen of around 50 minutes with 12 songs. A thrust back to the style of synth pop supremity and a wave of enthusiasm. Favourite, oh yes, probably Future Past, beautiful.