Photo by Warren Jackson
New Order today debuted their first new song in five years, the single “Be a Rebel” — you can stream it below — that had been intended to promote the group’s much-anticipated U.S. co-headlining tour with Pet Shop Boys, a trek that’s now been pushed to 2021.
The song is the first new music from New Order — Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert, Stephen Morris, Tom Chapman and Phil Cunningham — since the group’s 2015 album Music Complete and its associated singles, and it follows in that record’s more electronic mold.
In a statement announcing the release, Sumner says:
“In tough times we wanted to reach out with a new song. We can’t play live for a while, but music is still something we can all share together. We hope you enjoy it… until we meet again.”
“Be a Rebel” is available digitally today via Mute Records and will be followed on a date yet to be announced by 12-inch vinyl, CD and digital bundle releases featuring remixes of the track. The photograph used for the single is by Søren Solkær, and the overall is design by Warren Jackson — not, curiously, by longtime creative partner Peter Saville.
New Order — now slated to tour with Pet Shop Boys this time next year — next month will release what’s being billed as the “definitive edition” of Power, Corruption & Lies, reissuing the 1983 album in a five-disc, multi-format box set that will include 13 previously unreleased tracks.
The band also has restored its beloved 1987 singles compilation Substance to streaming services after a long absence, complete with the second disc of B-sides.
Here’s the new single:
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- New Order to release first new single in 5 years; ‘Substance’ back on streaming services
- New Order’s ‘Power, Corruption & Lies’ to receive ‘definitive’ 5-disc box set reissue
- New Order and Pet Shop Boys announce rescheduled 2021 dates for their ‘Unity Tour’
- Joy Division reissues unveiled as bandmates mark 40th anniversary of Ian Curtis’s death
- New Order to release ‘The John Peel Session 1982’ EP on vinyl for Record Store Day
- New Order to release live album of ‘synth orchestra’ performance — hear ‘Sub-culture’
Hmmm, well, for a theme it’s a good one and I like the lyrics – but I would expect them to take at least one or two musical risks considering the theme. At least have something interesting happen in the middle, like someone talking about reincarnation and not wanting to come back as a bug or as a rabbit. lol
@Matt: amen, ditto, and (if you must insist on chemotherapy at this time) pass the guacamole.
Crying out for some high end hooky base lines to give it more punch and variety. It’s a bit insipid
that’s great news about Substance. I’ve lost track of how many times they’ve tried to repackage their singles, and they’ve all been poor successors to what was perhaps the defining anthology in a period rich in them.
Umm…didn’t Bernard already record this as Twisted Tenderness with Electronic?
You can sing “Try All You Want” from the 1st album over it, esp at the end. I’m thinking they wanted something new to play at these shows with PSB, that feels like PSB. A couple people have pointed out it sounds like PSB “Did You See Me” as well. It’s not just missing bass as lead guitar, it’s missing guitars. Hoping the remixes are great, esp the one Stephen did. Accepting that if this were on music complete, it would have been the weakest track on there, so hopefully this is a one off.
Should have called this one “Disappointing.” No hooks. No Hooky. No thanks. Do better, NO. I’ve been with you for 34 years. I can’t believe this is what you release after five years of silence. Did everyone forget how to write a melody? A hook? Something memorable? So sad. I expect more from legends.
The New Order “sound” has Peter Hook’s bass in it. When you hear his bass you say “Ah, this is New Order”. Everyone knows that sound and it’s what makes New Order – New Order. This doesn’t sound like them, and one wonders if they will ever capture that sound again. It’s sad, really.
What a band, what a song, to make a song this good after all these years is amazing, Great music all around. This band has made so much good music throughout the years that it is unreal, so much great output from all the members, very sad to see Peter leave.
Joy D. fans will have an issue with this song and Hooky not being on it. Now for fan like me who where intro. to New Order with classics like BLT and True F. an are fans of Electronic and Pet Shop Boys this sounds great. Hope there is more new music in the for see able future.