Vini Reilly’s 2023 interview with The Guardian has stayed with me in a way that not a lot of the entertainment media that I consume has. While it’s not unusual for artists to quietly withdraw from releasing new material as they get older, the details of The Durutti Column’s silence – specifically the stroke he suffered in 2011 that, on top of his arthritis, left him unable to play guitar, his bouts of mental illness, and his skeletal visage in the accompanying photos – made me especially sad for the circumstances of this musical genius’ silence, even if he himself sounded at peace with it:

I’m 71 next year. I began playing when I was 11 – that’s 60 years. That’s long enough. I’m lucky I’ve made it this far and I’ve had an amazing life.

Vini Reilly, The Durutti Column
‘I’ve played for 60 years. That’s long enough’: guitar hero Vini Reilly on PTSD, life on the streets and the little girl who saved him @ The Guardian

So I’ve done little bits to continue to share his music, and am pleased when things like this post around the aforementioned sync of “Future Perfect” on The Bear continue to do traffic, because it means people are still discovering his work.

And I was very excited last Summer when The Durutti Column was listed as a collaborator on the new Blood Orange record, hoping it meant that Reilly had found his way back to making music, but as it turns out it was a sample of “Sing To Me” as the hook on a single. So more attention and profile for Reilly, sure, but that’s all.

So colour me floored when the news arrived this morning that a new Durutti Column album, their first in 16 years, was coming on July 31. Renascent – which the band notes means “becoming active or vigorous again; reviving” features Reilly, long time drummer Bruce Mitchell, and Keir Stewart – who has played with Reilly since 1998 – across 11 new tracks, the first of which has been released as a preview single.

Much of “Liars” is familiar, in its pacing and arrangements, and while Reilly’s guitarwork is understandably rougher in both tone and technique, it still sounds unmistakably him, wearing the additional years proudly and honourably. Similarly, his vocals are also sandpapery and low in the mix and delivered with an almost hip-hop cadence.

I am very excited about this record.