Blondie's new LP Panic of Girls
hit shelves on September 13th, but it's actually been in the can for
well over a year. "It took so long to get out in America because we were
figuring out how to distribute it," says Debbie Harry. "For a lot of
bands like Blondie, it becomes increasingly hard to get a record deal
because there really are no record companies. We're doing it on Amazon
here in America."
As is always the case with Blondie, the songs on the LP are very
musically diverse - ranging in style from pop to dance and even
reggae. "We've always tried to do a mixture," says Harry. "I've always
thought it was directly related to New York City because there's so many
different things going on there. It used to be that everything was very
regional. The radio down South used to be different than the stuff
you'd heard in New York or Chicago or Los Angeles. That's completely
changed now. I think that's one of the special things that New York has
always had. All these different styles exist simultaneously."
The band's creative process has changed little over the past three
decades. [Guitarist] Chris [Stein] does the music and creates tracks for
me," says Harry. "Then I sort of go off and try and put together a
bunch of ideas and we toss it back and forth - and then I'll just go sit
down and try to flesh it all out." Most of the tracks are original, but
the band did record a reggae cover of "Sunday Smile" by Beirut. "I saw
them in concert and was really impressed," says Harry. "Chris had this
great affection for reggae, so we put a little reggae twist on it."
Blondie reformed in 1997 after a 15-year hiatus. Unlike many reunited
bands from their era, they have continued to regularly make new music.
"That was an agreement we made when we put the band back together," says
Harry. "I said I couldn't do it unless we were dedicated to being
creative and making new music. I had no interest in being in an oldies
band." They do play many of their big hits on their current tour,
including "Heart of Glass," "Call Me" and "Rapture." "We're finding that
the new material is mixing in well with the hits from the past," says
Harry. "We're getting really good feedback, but you can't please
everybody."
Related
• Debbie Harry on Blondie's Marc Jacobs Fashion Week Collaboration
Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns