“When I really think about it, yes, we have made some good records in our time but it’s been a long time since we have made a great album. And that is the painful truth,” confesses Skunk Anansie‘s vocalist and all-round legend Skin.

And it is with this statement the group announced that they are ready to reutrn with their first album in nine years, entitled The Painful Truth. Out 23rd May via FLG Records, their comeback was teased with first single ‘An Artist Is An Artist.’ The track felt like a new direction for the band, showing their commitment to always evolving. Produced by TV On The Radio’s David Sitek it deals with ageism and the fact that creativity never dies.

“When we write it’s just the four of us in a room with no outside distractions or interference, getting to know each other again. We’d done the Greatest Hits tour and we realised that things needed to change. If we didn’t do something fresh and forward thinking, we couldn’t really be a band anymore. We’d just be doing Skunk karaoke,” says Skin bluntly.

Along with the confirmation of a new album, the band have dropped second single, ‘Cheers‘, a tension-building banger with a huge release of a chorus. Skunk Anansie will be performing this and more from The Painful Truth on their current EU/UK tour which you will find Loverboy at this Tuesday night in Barcelona’s Razzmatazz. They begin the UK dates on 28th March with two sold out nights at London’s Roundhouse. Skunk Anansie will also be playing a very special headline show near Bristol on the day of the album release with Republica. For more details see here.