Saint Etienne’s thirteenth and final full-length ‘International,’ is an album that functions less like a standard career retrospective and more like an elegantly curated bon voyage party. After 35 years of defining the intersection of indie-pop and dance culture, the trio of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley, and Pete Wiggs deliver a swan song that is both an emotional valediction for the listener and a masterclass in production for the musician.
For the casual fan or the lifelong devotee, ‘International’ is a relief. If their previous effort, 2024’s ‘The Night’ (Heavenly), was a nocturnal, ambient masterpiece that garnered career-best reviews for its atmospheric restraint, ‘International’ is its technicolor inverse. It is a return to the “unabashed pop bang” that first defined them when Cracknell joined for “Nothing Can Stop Us” (‘Foxbase Alpha’), in 1991. The album title itself is a nod to the cosmopolitan, Euro-centric soul of the band. The record operates as a pseudo “Greatest Hits” of new material, meticulously engineered by Tim Powell (formerly of the Xenomania hit factory). This partnership ensures that even the most nostalgic nods are filtered through a high-definition, modern sheen where tracks like “Glad” (co-written with Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers) provide instant euphoria, while the final track, “The Last Time,” offers a poignant, tear-stained reflection on their legacy. It is an album that functions less like a standard release and more like a pantheon of friends, heroes, and contemporaries helping draw a line under one of the most consistent discographies in British indie-pop.
The album feels like a communal gathering. You’ll hear the familiar voices and influences of 80s icons like Haricut One Hundred’s Nick Heyward (on “The Go-Betweens”) and Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure), alongside the modern energy of Confidence Man (“Brand New Me”). Despite the upbeat tempos, the “happy-sad” duality that defines Saint Etienne remains. Sarah Cracknell’s vocals—hushed, velvety, and arguably at her most soulful—anchor the songs in a sense of lived-in wisdom. Sarah’s voice remains the group’s secret weapon. It has grown deeper and huskier, turning every lyric into a bedside story or a shared secret. Even when the production pitches her voice up or applies electronic masks, that essential intimacy remains.
Photo by Rob Baker Ashton
‘International’ is a fascinating study in how to blend legacy aesthetics with modern technology. Wiggs and his collaborators have utilized a sophisticated palette of tools to achieve a sound that is retro-futurist. While many modern pop records rely on standard software presets, ‘International’ leans heavily on specific hardware textures. The album is a case study in “Executive Producing.” Rather than trying to do everything themselves, Saint Etienne acted as curators. By bringing in Powell for pop polish and producer Erol Alkan for dance floor credibility, they maintained their DNA while outsourcing specific sonic signatures.
‘International’ is the rare final album that doesn’t feel like a contractual obligation. It is a vibrant, vital piece of work that honors the past without being trapped by it. ‘International’ proves that if you must fade away, you should do so with your friends, your heroes, and your dignity intact. Saint Etienne have left us with one final, masterful lesson in pop history: how to say goodbye without losing the groove.
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