New Order Find New Home At Mute Records
Label boss Daniel Miller reveals looming New Order album, declares, “I’m so delighted!”
NEW ORDER WILL RELEASE their first all-new album since 2005 in 2015, having signed to storied and inspirational British independent Mute. The band and label announced the signing at a good-humoured champers reception at Soho’s Groucho Club on Tuesday: NO frontman Bernard Sumner quipped about buying the imprint’s first ever release Warm Leatherette by The Normal, and asked if he could have his money back. Mute boss Daniel Miller saluted New Order’s former manager Rob Gretton and label boss Tony Wilson, both now departed, saying, “wherever they are now, I hope they approve.”
“We seem to get on well, creatively, so far - no big fights!” Daniel Miller
You’d imagine they would. With their rigorous aesthetic sense, quality control and dedication to the electronic future, Mute’s sensibilities have long mirrored that of New Order’s old label Factory, making the union a natural fit. We collared Daniel Miller for his thoughts.
The news was surprising, but makes sense.
DM: “It would seem to. I think musically what Mute has done, and what New Order have been doing over the years, has kind of crossed paths. We decided to keep it under wraps, but negotiations have been going on for quite a long time. Which is quite right: a band with a history like that, they want to know the people they’re working with are a good fit for them. We seem to get on well, creatively, so far - no big fights! But the deal itself was very simple and very quick.”
What’s the nature of the deal?
DM: “It’s a one album deal. All the longest term artists we’ve worked with have all been one album deals. My feeling is, if you get on well and you do alright, why wouldn’t you work together? If you don't get on, why would you want to work together? All it does is make lawyers happy. I’m sure if we all get on and we do well and they want to make another record then hopefully they’ll come back to us.”
What’s the album like?
DM: “The next record is great from a song and a sonic point of view. Even though they haven’t had a record out for a long time they've been very active live, so it’s not like a comeback – it’s a continuation of where they were at. I think it fits more into slightly earlier New Order than the more recent albums. I like the more electronic stuff, obviously, that’s my taste. But what’s more important than the style is the song quality. That’s always been very strong, and the new songs are way up there, I think. I’m very excited by it.”
