English 2 tone ska band The Selecter are set to release a new album later on this month. Human Algebra, out on April 21st, will be the group’s 16th studio album following their last release, Daylight, back in 2017.
Formed in Coventry in 1979, The Selecter has become synonymous with the 2 tone ska revival movement in Britain, epitomising the movement’s core values with their multi-racial and multi-gendered lineup. Influenced by Jamaican ska music of the 1960s, bands such as The Selecter and The Specials combined the rocksteady beats of ska with new wave and punk, creating a genre that brought together not only two distinct types of music but also two races of people , thereby effectively acting as a frontline against racial violence and hatred.
Fronted by Pauline Black, who remains the group’s voice and leader to this day, the band shot to prominence in the UK with the release of three singles in 1979; “Three Minute Hero”, “Missing Words”, and the hugely popular and successful “On My Radio”, and followed this initial success with their debut album Too Much Pressure, released the year after in February 1980. Another album, Celebrate the Bullet, was released the year after but, due to the unfortunate timing of the release of the lead single (of the same name) and John Lennon’s murder via gunshot, the album sadly failed to see the success of their first, peaking at number 41 on the UK Albums Chart, and ultimately played a part in the subsequent break-up of the band in 1982.
Watch The Selecter perform their hit single “On My Radio” on TopPop in 1979 below:
After a stint as a TV presenter and actress, Black led a reformation and the band reunited in 1991, and have subsequently put out another 13 albums over the past 32 years. The current lineup features Black, of course, along with other founding members Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson (vocals) and Charley ‘Aitch’ Bembridge (drums).
Human Algebra, Black states to The Observer in an interview, is packed “with lyrics covering all the things I was thinking about“, including police brutality and racism (‘Stay Rebel’), knife crime in the UK (‘Human Algebra’) and fake news (‘Big Little Lies’), and such cultural consciousness will not be unfamiliar with lovers of The Selecter and 2 tone alike, given the genre’s close connection with cultural and class issues since its’ emergence in the late 1970s.
Watch “Human Algebra”, the lead single from the new album, below:
Human Algebra is available to pre-order now here.
