Manchester greats A Certain Ratio will release their 11th studio album, 1982, on March 31 via Mute. “It’s called 1982 but I wouldn’t say this album sounds anything like Sextet,” ACR’s Martin Moscrop says, referencing their album from 1982, with Donald Johnson adding, “The title is just playful. People can take it whichever way they can.”
Moscrop, Johnson and Jes Kerr made 1982 not long after completing their 2021 EP series, joined by regular collaborators Tony Quigley and Matthew Steele, plus neo-soul artist Ellen Beth Abdi. The album has them continuing to explore new directions. “That’s what people like about us, they don’t know what’s coming next!” says Kerr.
The first single from 1982 is “Waiting on a Train,” which features Mancunian rapper Chunky and Abdi. “It worked really well, there’s great chemistry between them,” Moscrop says. “It’s got the right amount of pop, the right amount of surrealism, the right amount of moodiness. It just works.” Watch the video, directed by Rollcam Directors, below.
1982:
1. Samo
2. Waiting on a Train
3. 1982
4. A Trip in Hulme
5. Constant Curve
6. Afro Dizzy
7. Holy Smoke
8. Tier 3
9. Ballad of ACR
10. Constant Curve
