What does Soft Cell mean to you? I’m guessing Marc Almond, Dave Ball and that little song called “Tainted Love” might be doing most of the heavy lifting in the answers. And quite rightly too. But for me, Soft Cell represent something bigger. They were part of the reason teenage me discovered the electronic music scene in the first place.
Alongside Erasure and Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell were responsible for making synthesizers, drum machines and deliciously dramatic pop feel utterly irresistible. I suspect I wasn’t alone in that discovery. For a generation of teenagers, these artists offered a thrilling alternative to the usual pop landscape. While these three especially, helped push LGBTQ+ visibility into the mainstream at a time when simply being unapologetically yourself could feel wonderfully rebellious.
Fast forward more than forty years and we’re still talking about them. That longevity is pretty fabulous.
Sadly, “Danceteria” arrives under bittersweet circumstances following the passing of Dave Ball in October 2025. This is the final Soft Cell studio album, and one of the last bodies of work Ball co-wrote and produced with Marc Almond.
And there is no pretending that Soft Cell can simply carry on without him.
“There can be no more recordings of Soft Cell without Dave, it would not be possible,” explained vocalist Marc Almond. “The sad reality is that Dave Ball was half of Soft Cell, and live work aside, I can’t write Soft Cell songs without him.”
Which makes having “Danceteria” in our hands feel like a rather extraordinary gift.
Named after the legendary Manhattan nightclub where Almond and Ball partied into the small hours while recording “Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret”, the album looks back to the New York years that helped shape the duo creatively and personally.
“Danceteria“ is a love letter to New York in the early ’80s. The time we spent in New York – where we recorded our first three albums – shaped us both as artists and people. To celebrate this period is a fitting farewell to Dave Ball and the final Soft Cell studio album”.
And yes, listening to “Danceteria”, that unmistakable Soft Cell magic is still there. The synths, the atmosphere, the eccentricity and, of course, that gloriously recognisable Marc Almond vocal. It feels nostalgic without becoming trapped in nostalgia, which is no small achievement for a band whose musical DNA is so intrinsically linked to the 1980s.
And then there is “Wave to America”, the latest focus track and another deliciously candid slice of storytelling. Rather than simply offering a postcard view of the United States. The track turns its gaze towards the country through a kaleidoscopic collection of iconic images, memories and cultural references. It feels suitably theatrical, slightly surreal and wonderfully larger than life, exactly the sort of place where Soft Cell have always seemed most comfortable. There is something quite special about hearing Almond’s unmistakable voice glide across Ball’s electronic world one more time. The styling of the track that feels rooted in their past while still sounding unmistakably like Soft Cell.
For this lifelong electronic-pop fan, “Danceteria” feels like finding one final Polaroid tucked inside the Soft Cell archive. Somewhat eccentric, a little bit glamorous and absolutely worth putting on loud. Dave Ball may have left the building, but thankfully, he left the synthesizers switched on.
Listen to fhe “Danceteria” album on your favourite platform here