They've been out of the limelight for more than eight years – now Brighouse superstars Embrace are back.
The indie rock band, who have three number one albums and six top ten singles on their CV, have announced they will release a self-titled album at the end of April.
With well over a million album sales behind them, Embrace were on the crest of a wave in 2006, after notching their third number one album, when they suddenly vanished without a trace.
The band last spoke to The Examiner in 2009 when lead singer Danny McNamara said they were primed to produce the best work of their careers.
But in late 2011 McNamara used his blog to tell fans they would not be rushed into releasing their next album.
The silence continued until yesterday when news of the comeback created a wave of positivity on Twitter, to which the former Hipperholme Grammar pupil said he was “overwhelmed”.
Speaking for the first time about the new album, McNamara said the band had been determined not to return to the fray until they had bettered their 1998 debut.
He said: “The album feels like we've come full circle to the band we were before we even got signed.
“But the clock is ticking louder than it ever has before and everything feels more do or die now.
“All our original influences have floated back to the surface.
“I have to say that for my part, we've never felt more focused or distilled.
“I think we've done it at last – we've finally made an album that's better than the first one.”
Embrace recently performed two secret shows for fans in Bradford and Halifax.
The band have taken the “secret gig” concept to the next level with a gig in complete darkness and a gig in a boxing ring, with the audience donning masks, boiler suits and safety glasses for a no holds barred horror-themed experience, involving ‘blood-stained’ walls, plastic sheeting – climaxing in a full-on paint fight.
Though the shows were strictly a secret, fan forums went into meltdown and both shows sold out in minutes with fans flying in to see the band from as far as Australia and Japan.
Embrace will be released on April 28 through Cooking Vinyl records.
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