Take That have shared their first new single in five years, "Windows", and announced details of their ninth album and a huge UK and Ireland tour.
The group – comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen – premiered the song on BBC Radio 2 this morning (September 22) where they told host Zoe Ball about their next chapter.
“New music, it is exciting,” Barlow said. “We’ve been together for 33 years now so it’s like, ‘What’s next? How do we sound in 2023?’ That’s the exciting bit.
“There’s nothing more we love than going into a studio and going, ‘Who are we now? How does our music sound when it comes out?’ And it feels fresh and it feels exciting, and it feels like we’re looking upwards. I think we’re at a nice time of life.”
He added: “It’s hopeful and there’s a lot of light I think in this music. We’re very excited for our audience to hear it – always.”
Barlow explained that ‘Windows’ was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. The track was produced by Grammy-winner Dave Cobb, who has previously worked with the likes of Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile.
‘Windows’ serves as the first taste of Take That’s ninth studio record ‘This Life’, which is due for release on November 24 (pre-order here).
“We made most of the album in Savannah in Georgia, so it had that south sort of influence to it,” Barlow told Radio 2. “And it’s strange how an environment actually comes out in the music as well.”
He added: “We really went for the [vocal] harmonies on this record.”
Other sessions took place at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, per a press release. A tracklist for the upcoming LP has not yet been shared.
Additionally, Take That have confirmed that they’ll be showcasing "This Life" on a huge UK and Ireland tour next spring/summer. The trio had teased the dates by projecting their official logo on the venues they will be visiting.
Kicking off in mid-April, the run of concerts will include four nights at The O2 in London as well as other arenas and stadiums across the UK and Ireland. Olly Murs is also set to perform as a “very special guest” support act.
In a joint statement, Take That said: “It’s been a wonderful experience being back in the studio together making this record. It has that feeling of spreading your wings, letting out the old and bringing in the new.
“We’re incredibly proud of the new album – there’s a sense of togetherness, whether that’s us coming back together as a band or people wanting connection in their own lives. We’re excited for this new chapter!”
In June 2022, the group revealed that they were working on their first album in five years and said it’d be accompanied by a world tour.
Take That’s eighth and most recent studio record, "Wonderland", came out in 2017. Barlow and co. then released three new songs – "Out Of Our Heads", "Spin", and "Everlasting" – as part of a 2018 greatest hits collection, "Odyssey".
This July, the band headlined the BST Hyde Park concert series in London.
