Just before the start of the 21st Century following the hangover of Britpop, LADYTRON formed in Liverpool and brought the-then unfashionable sound of synthesizers into their own DIY indie punk sound.
Since their debut long player ‘604’ in 2001 up to their most recent album ‘Time’s Arrow’ in 2023, their sound has evolved. LADYTRON have embraced synthpop, electroclash, electronic shoegaze and industrial goth. Now reconfigured as a trio, Helen Marnie, Daniel Hunt and Mira Arroyo explore more explicitly dance-based templates on their eighth album ‘Paradises’.
While LADYTRON were once labelled electroclash with ‘Seventeen’ being considered an anthem within that scene, they have never been club-oriented as such despite their origins in the DJ sphere. But Daniel Hunt has described ‘Paradises’ as “a ‘disco’ record” but this being LADYTRON, their take on ‘disco’ is wide ranging. About the making of the album, Hunt said “The key motivation was fun” while Mira Aroyo expressed a desire to “channel that fun feeling of first working together back in the late ’90s when we had nothing to lose.”
Photo by Mark McNulty
Realised over 5 months with work starting in late 2023 and again mixed by long-time collaborator Jim Abbiss, ‘Paradises’ is a fully international record that befits the multi-cultural foundations of LADYTRON, with recording taking place in Liverpool, São Paulo, Montrose and London.
The first hypnotic single ‘I Believe in You’ was a statement of intent. With the trio themselves describing it as “high-priestess disco” and shaped by an infectious house groove previously not heard from LADYTRON, it is still undoubtedly recognisable as them so makes a perfect opener to signal this dancier direction.
‘A Death In London’ strengthens this resolve and falls under the influence of A GUY CALLED GERALD but with the final outcome being more song-based; and if that wasn’t enough of a surprise, there are even oceanic sax breaks in a ‘Pacific’ fashion which provide an altered state of 808. While it appears seemingly escapist, the line “a place where dreams go to die…” provides that darker LADYTRON twist in its Balearic noir.
With an octave-drive, ‘I See Red’ clatters out of that Manchester clubbing-era with a hallucinatory mindset while ‘Caught In The Blink Of An Eye’ provides some subtle techpop with a not an entirely different aesthetic.
The red theme is reflected again on ‘In Blood’ to show that ‘Paradises’ is not just dance songs, with ‘Secret Dreams of Thieves’ sung by Mira Arroyo, the feminine PET SHOP BOYS of ‘Sing’ and the lush ‘Ordinary Love’ all exuding the more atmospheric approaches heard on 2011’s ‘Gravity The Seducer’.
Meanwhile, ‘Kingdom Undersea’ not only brings in a steady Balearic house piano riff and a ghostly Fairlight choir but the voice of Daniel Hunt alongside Helen Marnie in his first vocal turn since ‘Versus’ from 2008’s ‘Velocifero’. There’s a return to the influences of A GUY CALLED GERALD but in a more sedate manner on ‘Free, Free’ while the percussive ‘Metaphysica’ adds some subtle gothic drama. ‘We Wrote Our Names in the Dust’ utilises club rhythms but the sonic romance is almost ambient.
Into the home straight, ‘Solid Light’ moves away from clubland for a more straightforward slice of classic girl group pop with Mira Aroya returning to take lead and declaring “we will dance again”, while to close, ‘For A Life In London’ falls under the spell of THE BELOVED for LADYTRON’s own ‘Sweet Harmony’ complete with sax, albeit as a united spoken word declaration in the face of divisive far right politics.
Like the new MESH long player ‘The Truth Doesn’t Matter’, there is a lot of new LADYTRON to consume across the 16 tracks on ‘Paradises’. Yes it’s a less aggressive LADYTRON than in the past, but this is a new LADYTRON with a spellbinding dance-inflected direction that suits them who are also equally worthy of a listen.
‘Paradises’ is released by Nettwerk in the usual formats including CD and double vinyl LP on 20th March 2026
LADYTRON 2026 UK live dates include:
Liverpool Arts Club Theatre (19th March), Newcastle Digital (20th March), Manchester Gorilla (21st March), Halifax Piece Hall (31st July – with Gary Numan), London Crystal Palace (6th August – with Gary Numan + Marc Almond)
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Text by Chi Ming Lai
17th March 2026
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