In 1978, Soft Cell was born to parents Marc Almond and Dave Ball. However, in October 2025, Ball lost his battle with poor health at the age of 66.
With that, the duo became a solo act, and Almond has been touring the world ever since, including a performance at the Hollywood Bowl last week. It looked like the show was going on. But it is not. Almond announced that the band is releasing their final album, Danceteria.
“The ‘Danceteria’ album reflects what we were going through as Brits in New York,” concludes Marc. “We arrived there in 1981 with a bunch of songs that were initially written about London and Leeds. They were songs that reflected the greyness and repression of Margaret Thatcher’s Britain. But once we hit New York, the same songs became infused with a fresh, streetwise sensibility. We were in the clubs, where ecstasy was available for the first time, and we felt privileged to be part of that secret. Our music took on a hybrid quality. We were quintessentially British, but we felt that we were also an honorary American band. So it feels right that the last Soft Cell album is invested in those myths and stories. It brings everything full circle for us, and it’s a fitting tribute to Dave.”
Even though it is being released 11 months after Ball’s death, the singer said his late bandmate had heard the finished record two days before he passed and “knew it was a great piece of work.”
Their sixth and final album will be released on September 25th.
