Ed Harcourt Unveils “El Magnifico” Album and Debut Single “Strange Beauty”
Ed Harcourt, the esteemed UK singer-songwriter, has thrilled fans with the announcement of his upcoming album, El Magnifico, alongside the release of its lead single, “Strange Beauty.” Scheduled for release on March 29, 2024, via Harcourt’s own imprint, Deathless Recordings, the album is now available for pre-order or pre-save.
The accompanying music video for “Strange Beauty,” filmed in Almeria, southern Spain by Steve Gullick, captures the essence of classic love and serves as a captivating preview of the full LP.
Watch the “Strange Beauty” music video here.
Harcourt, who self-produced El Magnifico, recorded the album at his Wolf Cabin studios, with final touches done alongside producer Dave Izumi Lynch at Eastbourne’s Echo Zoo Studio.
In a press statement, Harcourt described “Strange Beauty” as “a song that uses visceral imagery to convey that classic old feeling of love and the immense power it has.” He continued, “I still want to describe how violently mad it can make one feel. It’s about escapism, there’s an us against the world aspect, not adhering to the confines of society I guess.”
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Reflecting on the album’s fresh direction, Harcourt shared, “I think as a songwriter you do get to a point where you’re aware of your past and what you’ve done. It’s knowing what your strengths are, what your weaknesses are, but also knowing how to better yourself by doing things you haven’t done before.”
He added, “Every album is always a reaction to the last thing I did. After the ‘Furnaces,’ which was quite heavy and experimental, I felt it was time I went back to the source a bit. So maybe there is a sense here of drawing on what people perhaps know me for, but there is also a big step forward.“
El Magnifico Tracklist:
- ‘1987’
- ‘Into The Loving Arms Of Your Enemy’
- ‘Broken Keys’
- ‘Strange Beauty’
- ‘The Violence Of The Rose’
- ‘Ghost Ship’
- ‘Deathless’
- ‘Anvils & Hammers’
- ‘My Heart Can’t Keep Up With My Mind’
- ‘At The Dead Of The World’
- ‘Seraphina’
- ‘El Magnifico’
Harcourt concluded, “One of the important things with the record for me is that it feels like a combination of everything that I’ve done, yet it’s also opened up so many new possibilities.”
Ed Harcourt’s last album, the soundscape-driven “Monochrome To Colour,” was released in 2020. With El Magnifico, Harcourt invites listeners on a diverse musical journey that amalgamates his past influences while pushing artistic boundaries.
