Happy Friday the 13th! Autumn and October are finally here, and with that comes the heavily anticipated Halloween season. The leaves are turning, ghosts float through the trees and ubiquitous ‘80s band Duran Duran is releasing a Halloween-inspired album.
I have been listening to Duran Duran since the day I started breathing, and since then, have held a strong aversion simply to annoy my wildly obsessed mom. Recently, though, her adoration has slowly seeped in delivering me right to the stage for Duran Duran’s most recent show at Little Caesars Arena. This show included Duran Duran’s second-ever live performance of the newly released title track of their highly anticipated upcoming album — “DANSE MACABRE.”
Duran Duran has a habit of including unique sounds and instruments in their music — the ocarina in “The Chauffeur” notably being my favorite. It is because of this that the distinct and eerie synth-pop in this song pulls me in. Encapsulating an ‘80s Halloween vibe while tying in some dark wave and Oingo Boingo personality, the song is perfect for this year’s festivities.
“Hey, no way /
Some ghost drivin’ an AC Cobra /
Auto-da-fé /
Get dirty up on the Danse Macabre.”
Quite literally translating to “dance of death,” Danse Macabre is an allegory from the Middle Ages frequently brought up in music, primarily known from Camille Saint-Saëns composed piece from 1874. Challenging their historical past as video pioneers, Duran Duran brings modernized life to this phrase with their entirely AI-generated music video.
“I like the idea that if you can imagine something you can make it come to life, well at least in animated form,” keyboardist Nick Rhodes said in an interview with Rolling Stone. With a gothic dream, Duran Duran started by curating the ultimate Halloween guest list, including puppets, clowns, mythical beasts and reimaginings of them in a haunting, new, undead form.
“Danse Macabre” joins covers of hits such as “Psycho Killer,” “Bury a Friend” and “Paint it Black” on this spooky new album, which will be released on Oct. 27, 2023, just in time for all the Halloween festivities.
