Belle and Sebastian – Late Developers

Almost three decades ago, Belle and Sebastian’s twin character pieces Tigermilk and If You’re Feeling Sinister introduced the world to a fresh new talent. Now hot on the heels of 2022’s alternately political and beatific A Bit of Previous comes Late Developers, the latest record from the beloved indie icons and proof that they have plenty in the tank.

Recorded alongside its predecessor in the band’s Glasgow rehearsal space, Late Developers is not simply a collection of offcuts but a catchier and more diverse collection than its companion piece. It finds the group pulling at the threads around the edges of their sound and, in a couple of cases, striding out into new territory, opener Juliet Naked setting the tone for the record. It may be driven by jagged guitar but lyrically it pays tribute to 60s jazz and pop and a gentle spirituality. 

For all the classic pop melodicism, if anything Late Developers is a record that finds its creators dissatisfied with both past and present. They might sing 'Old letters, feed them to the shredder / You can let the past be silent' on Give a Little Time, but on the very next song the narrator finds themselves adrift in the modern world, remembering the selfish fun of their youth and wishing they could be content with the football scores, but instead recognising: 'Now we’ve got kids and dystopia'.

If there’s a solution for that though, Late Developers suggests it comes in community, creativity and harmony. Will I Tell You a Secret finds Stuart Murdoch and Sarah Martin trading lines over stately harpsichord while Stevie Jackson powers through the hyperactive syllable-stuffed power-pop of So In the Moment. On The Evening Star and the closing title track Late Developers, Murdoch’s voice has rarely sounded richer, backed by tasteful horns and whisps of organ.

The back half has two curios for the band’s notoriously obsessive fanbase: one divisive, one almost guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser. The first is lead single I Don’t Know What You See In Me, a co-write with young pop composer Pete Ferguson, aka Wuh Oh. Packed with widescreen synths and cavernous production, it posits an alternate future in which Belle and Sebastian inherited their mantle from synth-pop superstars like Simple Minds rather than bedroom-bound sad boys like The Smiths and Edwyn Collins. I suspect many long-time fans may be glad that the butterfly’s wings flapped the way they did but it’s refreshing to find a band still pushing themselves almost 30 years into their enviable career.

The other is the 1994-era pre-Belle and Sebastian gem When the Cynics Stare Back From the Wall, now recorded with Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell. With its gently strummed acoustic guitar and witty and heartfelt portrayal of young love, it's instantly recognisable as coming from the same place as their mid-90s masterpieces, even as the rest of the record shows just how far the band have travelled.

Listen to: The Evening Star, When the Cynics Stare Back From the Wall