Sneaker Pimps are back nearly 20 years after releasing their third album, 2002’s Bloodsport. The 90s trip-hop luminaries announced today that their fourth album, Squaring the Circle, will be coming out this fall. The title track, which is also the lead single, is set for a July 9 release. A teaser is available to watch below. The album is available to pre-order via Bandcamp.
The album was written, performed, and produced by founding members Chris Corner and Liam Howe and was recorded at Sawtooth Studios in Pioneertown, California, and The Tower Studios in London. Corner also took on vocal duty alongside featured artist Simonne Jones.
“It’s taken many years and many false starts to get Sneaker Pimps back in the game,” wrote Corner on Twitter. “Sometimes you need to back the f__k off and let the universe take control. I’m proud and relieved to say it is finally happening. We officially have new music.”
Sneaker Pimps are best known for their track “6 Underground,” which featured vocals from former lead singer Kelli Ali, who left the group after their 1996 debut album, Becoming X. That album, which charted at No.27 in the UK (and No.1 on the US Heatseekers Chart), was met with near-unanimous critical acclaim and an instantly adoring fan base.
Said Stephen Thomas Erlewine for AllMusic, “Becoming X is one of the most engaging byproducts of post-Portishead trip-hop. While the Sneaker Pimps don’t have the doomed romanticism of Portishead or the nasty experimental tendencies of Tricky, they have a cool sense of pop hooks and an edgier guitar attack than their predecessors.” Those subtle pop sensibilities skyrocketed the group, who then put their success under a microscope on their sophomore LP, Splinter.
Listen to the Sneaker Pimps on Apple Music and Spotify.
Squaring the Circle Tracklist:
01. Fighter
02. Squaring the Circle
03. Love Me Stupid
04. Pink Noise
05. No Show
06. Stripes
07. Child in the Dark
08. Black Rain
09. Alibis
10. Lifeline
11. The Paper Room
12. Immaculate Hearts
13. So Far Gone
14. Come Like the Cure
15. SOS
16. The Tranquility Trap