by Brittney Corridean
photo by Alexander Thompson
When you think of times past, there are certain artists who just kind of broke the mold. Some may have left the music sooner than they should have, or just faded out of the limelight like a gust of hot air. However you may think of it, some of these bands just can’t be duplicated- almost a force to be reckoned with that will ever hold an organic version of original, weird, and authenticity. One of those bands is Blondie.
Albeit, I was in the an age of single digits when they topped the charts (and surely they did before this as well). Yet, I have such fantastic memories of pool parties and big, feathered hairstyles that culminate with “The Tide is High” or “Heart of Glass”. They’re actually irreplaceable in my mind.
The idea of Debbie Harry and her exuding feminism/’80s punk glamour are still astounding and hard to find in a natural form this day in age. Harry’s very presence was an art form of its own and the number of influences Blondie has had on bands since is probably countless. We all know time tends to recycle itself and so many bands strive to repeat the essence of the ’80s or ’90s. Truth is, it’ll just never be the same.
This is why it was exciting to hear Blondie with be co-headlining with Garbage for their Rage and Rapture Tour this summer. On August 2nd, they’ll be right here in Philadelphia at the beautiful Mann Center.
Blondie will also be releasing a new album, Pollinator, on May 5th. The latest single, “Fun”, is a perfect mix of the past disco, electronic dance grooves we grew up with, but blended with dashes of attitude and creativity. The album also features songwriting from Sia, Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), Charli XCX, Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio), Nick Valensi (The Strokes), Johnny Marr (The Smiths) and more.
With all that changes in our world’s day to day, it’s good to some bands stay true to what they know and that’s making some good music!
