When SPIN caught up with Teenage Fanclub songwriter Norman Blake in February to discuss the band’s new album Endless Arcade, the world was in a much more uncertain place than it is today. Prospects on when and how live music would be coming back were still marked with doubt. But Blake, as always, radiates with positivity for the days ahead. Even as the long-running Scottish band faced its biggest shake-up. With it being their eleventh album and first since 2016’s Here, there is a seismic shift that will be abundantly clear to longtime fans. It’s the first Teenage Fanclub release without longtime bassist and songwriter Gerard Love, effectively dismantling the three-pronged songwriter attack they have been known for throughout their 30 plus years as a band. Now, the lion’s share of the songw...
Teenage Fanclub has shared “I’m More Inclined,” the third release from the upcoming Endless Arcade LP, the Scottish lineup’s first new music in four years. The album, says the band’s Norman Blake, addresses the fact that “We’re all getting older, and you can’t help but think about mortality, especially when you’re being creative and reflecting on your life.” Endless Arcade was originally scheduled to arrive on March 5; the new release date is April 30, 2021. The lineup released the album’s first single, “Home,” the first new music in four years, in November. “I’m More Inclined” was written by Blake. “When we first starting talking about getting songs together for a new album, Norman said, ‘I have one ready to go now!’—and that was ‘I’m More Inclined,’” the band’s Raymond McGinle...
Classic Scottish alt rockers Teenage Fanclub announced the release of Endless Arcade, their first LP since 2016’s Here, with the premiere single, “Home.” Endless Arcade will drop on March 5, 2021. “I think of an endless arcade as a city that you can wander through, with a sense of mystery, an imaginary one that goes on forever,” says Raymond McGinley, one-half of the band’s songwriters for this album, in a statement. “When it came to choosing an album title, it seemed to have something for this collection of songs.” The group’s other songwriter, Norman Blake, added, “We’re all getting older, and you can’t help but think about mortality, especially when you’re being creative and reflecting on your life.” A press statement further clarifies that the album “walks a beautifully poise...