‘High Noon’ for Blondie: 1st Studio Album of New Material in 9 Years and Last With Clem Burke

Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein (Photo: Maddy Rotman; used with permission)

Blondie have announced their long-awaited 12th studio album and first collection of new material in nine years. The title, High Noon, coming February 26, 2027 via BMG, marks the final recording of co-founding drummer Clem Burke. It’s available to order here. [Amazon links are coming soon in the U.S. here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.] The Oct. 15 news of the album arrived with the first single, the infectious album opener “Spectral Eyes” which premiered on BBC Radio 2. Listen to the song below.

Blondie once again opened the door to a broad mix of sounds, ideas and collaborators. Rock and Roll and punk sit alongside dance music and Latin rhythms, with contributions from Johnny Marr, Glen Matlock, Zach Condon of Beirut, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius and others woven throughout the album.

At the outset of recording, the band had no way of knowing the significance the album would later carry. Following Burke’s passing in 2025, the record has taken on additional meaning for the band and serves as a document of one of rock’s longest-running creative partnerships.

“This album is classic Blondie — an amalgamation of all our different influences and eras into something new,” says Debbie Harry. “This music feels grounded in the present, shaped by who we are and how we’re living now.”

“It’s been a long, strange ride, and somehow here we are with another Blondie album,” says Chris Stein. “We’re incredibly grateful for all your support over the years.”

The energetic “Spectral Eyes” was written by Marr, who also contributes guitar to the song. It pairs crystalline riffs with a steady beat and a bright, hypnotic chorus, setting the tone for the album to follow.

More from the album announcement: Sessions for High Noon began in 2022, with the band recording in New York City alongside producer John Congleton [St. Vincent, The War On Drugs, The Killers], who previously worked with Blondie on their critically acclaimed 2017 album Pollinator. Much of the material was tracked together in the same room, reflecting the collaborative approach that has long defined the band. David Wrench [Florence and the Machine, Jamie xx, Frank Ocean, Bon Iver] later joined for additional production and mixing.

The visual world of High Noon was conceived by artist and director Rob Roth, who has collaborated creatively with Blondie for over 25 years. Here, Roth mixes cinematic imagery, analog textures and contemporary references weaved through all of the album’s visuals: artwork, visualizers, and an upcoming short film.

That same interplay between past and present also runs through the music itself. Highlights include “Heartbreak Kid,” written by Stein with Johnny Thunders in mind, which looks back toward the band’s downtown New York roots, while “Sleepwalking,” written by Glen Matlock, brings a gritty punk energy. “Man Who Had No Face,” written by Stein and Harry, pairs pulsating keys and electric guitar with one of Harry’s most vivid lyrics on the record. The band also revisits “Little Metal Drummer” originally recorded by Blondie co-founding keyboardist Jimmy Destri.

High Noon Track Listing
1. Spectral Eyes
2. Heartbreak Kid
3. Come Back Home
4. Tambo Tambo
5. Man Who Had No Face
6. The End
7. Little Metal Drummer
8. Sleepwalking
9. Whistle Into The Wind
10. Antifreeze
11. East of Eden
12. Bad Underwear
13. Ah, Sunflower, Weary of Time