The Pretenders release their highly-anticipated new album Relentless, along with a new visualiser for focus track ‘Losing My Sense Of Taste’.
Relentless is a clearly defined snapshot of where The Pretenders are at in 2023. The album has already seen mighty critical praise with MOJO describing “persistently brilliant songwriting … surely how Chrissie Hynde always wanted The Pretenders to sound”, The Observer heard “inspiring longevity”, Record Collector applauded “the best Pretenders album in 20 years” in a five star review, and Uncut Magazine labelled the album “the new prime of Chrissie Hynde”.
Speaking about ‘Losing My Sense Of Taste’, Chrissie Hynde said: “That song was more a take on the whole lockdown experience. It is called ‘Losing My Sense Of Taste’ – which, as a matter of fact, I never lost during the Covid period. But it did kick off the idea for the song… losing my sense of taste, my sense of smell, and sometimes the whole culture just seems tired. Not now of course because there’s a new Pretenders album out.”
Listen to ‘Losing My Sense Of Taste’ by The Pretenders on the Premier League Playlist on Spotify
The Pretenders launched Relentless with an exclusive club tour of some of the UK and Ireland’s most intimate venues. Fans were treated to unreleased new songs and scatterings of surprise hits. The past year alone has seen the band perform over 60 live shows across the UK, US and Europe. Their surprise performance at Glastonbury, featuring special guests Johnny Marr and Dave Grohl, was received as a highlight of the entire festival weekend.
The Pretenders have just returned to UK shores. After joining Guns N’ Roses at London’s BST Hyde Park mid-way through a European arena tour, both set out across the US for huge outdoor shows through August and September, where Chrissie Hynde joined Guns N’ Roses on stage singing and playing harmonica for a surprise performance of ‘Bad Obsession’ at Boston’s Fenway Park.
Produced by David Wrench and recorded at Battery Studios in West London, the album’s 12 tracks feature what Chrissie describes as “The Pretenders Collective”. This extended band features James Walbourne (guitars), Kris Sonne (drums), Chris Hill (double bass), Dave Page (bass), Carwyn Ellis (keyboards and guitars) and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile).
Relentless is the first Pretenders album to be released via Warner Brothers – Parlophone’s parent record label – since 1999. After first signing to small independent label Real Records on the back of the heyday of punk rock, The Pretenders’ first single led them to sign with Sire – whose parent company was also Warner Brothers – via legendary A&R Seymour Stein, a partnership lasting 20 years.
