Duran Duran to release spooky new album that coincides nicely with Halloween

Duran Duran have announced the release of their 16th studio album, Danse Macabre, which will be out October 27, 2023.

Packed with dark overtones, the record’s release ties in nicely with Halloween.

Containing 13 songs, the new record is a blend of original music, cover versions and reimagined favourites of their own such as Nightboat, Love Voodoo (or Voudou as it’s spelt this time ’round), and Secret October (scrap that: it’s now spelt Oktober).

The cover songs include clever renditions of Billie Eilish’s Bury A Friend, Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer, and The Rolling Stones’ Paint It Black, each cover treated with respect but boldly reinterpreted.

According to lead singer Simon Le Bon, the album is simply “supposed to be fun”, while keyboardist Nick Rhodes says the record “metamorphosed through a pure, organic process”.

From what I’ve heard so far, it’s a great sounding album all-round. The covers are quirky and the new material unabashedly different to anything else we’ve heard from the band.

Take the lead single and title track Danse Macabre which is a rumbling groove laced with samples of screams, wolf howls and Vincent Price-type bits and bobs. Simon raps a little, and while he isn’t the best singer in the world, he does a pretty good job lending the track a certain kookiness.

Take a listen to Danse Macabre, below, while we look forward to more monster mash madness come October 27.

Antonino Tati