Soft Cell had completed work on a new album just days before Dave Ball’s death on Tuesday, Marc Almond revealed in a heartfelt statement honouring his bandmate of nearly five decades.
The synth-pop duo finished their album Danceteria, the follow-up to 2022’s Happiness Not Included, shortly before Ball passed away aged 66. Almond described the timing as “most heartbreaking,” noting that Ball was “in a great place emotionally, feeling focused and happy with the new album.”
“I listened to the complete album for the first time yesterday,” Almond wrote (as per Rolling Stone). “It makes me so sad as this would have been a great uplifting year for him and I can take solace that he heard this finished record and felt it was a great piece of work.”
Ball had been battling health issues for several years, with Almond confirming he “had been ill for a long while and his health had been in slow decline over recent years.” Despite these challenges, Ball maintained his commitment to the music, continuing to work in the studio and perform selected UK dates with Soft Cell.
His final performance came at the Rewind festival just weeks before his death, where the duo headlined to over 20,000 people. Almond recalled that Ball was “elated and given an enormous boost” following the show, highlighting his enduring passion for performing despite his declining health.
Danceteria takes its name from the legendary New York City dance club and represents a thematic return to the duo’s origins. The title and theme “takes us for a visit back to almost the start of it all, back to New York in the early 80’s, the place and time that really shaped us,” Almond explained.
The album serves as both a celebration of Soft Cell’s legacy and a poignant conclusion to their collaborative journey. Almond noted that the record “in many ways will close that circle for us,” referencing the band’s longstanding tradition of being “self referential to the Soft Cell story and myths.”
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Formed in 1978, Almond and Ball’s partnership spanned nearly half a century, during which they established themselves as pioneers of electronic music. Their influence extended far beyond the UK, with Almond noting they “always felt we were an honorary American band as well as quintessentially British.”
