Madness announce new album 'Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie'

28 September 2023, 11:05

Madness’ Theatre of the Absurd Introduces C'est La Vie album trailer

Madness announce their first album in over seven years.

While their albums don't come as thick and fast as in their nutty first run in the 1980s, Madness have been knocking out great records in the past couple of decades.

And now after a seven-year wait, they've announced their latest studio effort Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie.

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The follow-up to 2016's Can't Touch Us Now is released in various physical and digital formats on November 17, 2023 and is available for pre-order now.

Fans who pre-order from the official Madness store will get access to a pre-sale of a soon-to-be-announced London launch show for the album.

The band take the record on the road in November and December with the previously-announced C'est La Vie Tour, with support from The Lightning Seeds.

"After a disparate couple of years which saw the band at their most polarised and fragmented, Madness reunited in an industrial unit in Cricklewood at the beginning of the year, where Suggs, Mark, Chrissy Boy, Mike, Lee and Woody realised that what united them was always bigger than what divided them," reads the blurb.

"Emerging re-energised and reinvigorated with a fresh bounce in their nutty step, the result was their most harmonious recording experience to date."

It continued: "For the first time ever, a brand new album came into the world that they were all completely agreed on. Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie is the band's inaugural foray into self-producing, working alongside engineer and mixer Matt Galsbey (Ed Sheeran, Maisie Peters, Rag’n’Bone Man).

"The governing principle behind Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie, is: 'Let Madness be Madness'.

Madness - C'est La Vie (Official Audio)

"The result is an album of typically timeless brilliance that also reflects the wonky years of its creation, these 14 songs representing the cream of the bumper crop of tunes the group cooked up, whittled down this punchy, focused set."

The band have marked the album announcement with the release of three of its songs on streaming platforms: 'Cest' La Vie', 'If I Go Mad' and 'What On Earth Is It (You Take Me For)?'.

The full tracklisting of Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est La Vie is as follows:

1. Prologue: "Mr Beckett Sir…"
2. Theatre Of The Absurd
3. If I Go Mad
4. Baby Burglar
5. Act One: "Surrounded On All Sides.."
6. C'est La Vie
7. What On Earth Is It (You Take Me For?)
8. Hour Of Need
9. Act Two "The Damsel In Distress.."
10. Round We Go
11. Act Three: "The Situation Deteriorates.."
12. Lockdown And Frack Off
13. Beginners 101
14. Is There Anybody Out There?
15. The Law According To Dr. Kippah
16. Epilogue: "And So Ladies And Gentlemen.."
17. Run For Your Life
18. Set Me Free (Let Me Be)
19. In My Street
20. Fin.: "Ladies And Gentlemen.."