Yesterday, Tracey Thorn was the guest on NPR’s Fresh Air. She spoke with host Terry Gross about her new album Record, her incredible professional career to date, the changing landscape of London, and more. Listen on NPR and below:

EMBED AUDIO HERE

Last month, producer Ewan Pearson offered several alternate takes on “Dancefloor” from Record. “It’s a song about yearning for the euphoria of the dancefloor, and a track which wears its love of the Pet Shop Boys on its sleeve,” Thorn explains. The 5-song EP includes four different versions of the track as well as the original. Listen now at all of your favorite digital outlets. 

Tracey Thorn “Dancefloor” EP:
1. Dancefloor - Album Version (02:56)
2. Dancefloor - Ewan Pearson 12” Mastermix (08:34)
3. Dancefloor - Powerdance Remix (03:54)
4. Dancefloor - Powerdance Extended Disco Version (07:30)
5. Dancefloor - Pearson and Lindblad Italo Remix (08:23)

As ever, the personal has often been political in Tracey Thorn’s work. “Nine feminist bangers,” she jokes when asked to describe Record. “I think I’ve always written songs which chronicle the milestones of a woman’s life,” Thorn says of the new album. “Different ages and stages, different realities not often discussed in pop lyrics. If 2010’s Love and Its Opposite was my mid-life album—full of divorce and hormones—then Record represents that sense of liberation that comes in the aftermath, from embarking on a whole new ‘no fucks given’ phase of life.”

Watch the Carol Morley-directed video for "Sister" and “Queen” before purchasing Record on CD and LP in the Merge store, where each format can be bundled with a beautiful full-color Tracey Thorn zine featuring 20 pages of handwritten lyrics and photos from the recording sessions. Record is also available at your favorite independent record store (look for the smoky red Peak Vinyl!) and digital music service.

“Her writing has never been stronger; her songs are essentially short stories distilled. And her knack for flipping between wistful rumination and determined rug-cutting makes her as fine a companion—for clubbing or for staying in—as you could ask for.” —Pitchfork

“Tracey Thorn remains one of the most vital voices in English pop.” —Rolling Stone

“Through it all is Thorn’s voice, a deep, throaty sound that is at once a comfort and a dare—a challenge to the listener to be as honest as the singer.” —NPR’s Fresh Air