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Aug 11, 2020 By Jennifer Irving Erasure

Back in June synth-pop duo Erasure (Andy Bell and Vince Clarke) announced their 18th studio album, The Neon, which will be released August 21 on Mute. After releasing two singles for the album, “Hey Now (Think I Got A Feeling)” and “Shot a Satellite,” the duo is back with a third single and accompanying video for “Nerves of Steel.”

The video features prominent LGBTQ+ stars, most well-known from appearances on RuPaul’s Drag Race, including Detox, Manila Luzon, Amanda Lepore, Candis Cayne, and a few others. Talking about the track in a press release Bell says: “This is my favorite track from the album, I am truly honored that all our LGBTQIA+ friends were so creative during lockdown and helped us with this joyful video. Thanks for creating such a lovely piece of art!” Check out the Brad Hammer-directed video below.

The Neon is the follow up to 2017’s World Be Gone. As for most of their albums, The Neon is a celebration of the clarity and joy the duo felt while writing. “Our music is always a reflection of how we’re feeling,” Clarke said in a previous press release. “Andy was in a good place spiritually, and so was I—really good places in our minds. You can hear that.”

While the vocals for the album were recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, the mixing was done in London earlier this year. While in London, the duo visited Gods Own Junkyard, a gallery collection of vintage neon. “I felt like it was being inside a virtual reality game. I loved that it felt like being in a different world. That’s what I want our new album to convey,” Bell said.

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