{"id":43824,"date":"2025-08-12T17:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T21:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=43824"},"modified":"2025-08-10T08:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T12:10:14","slug":"saint-etienne-unveil-take-me-to-the-pilot-second-single-from-farewell-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=43824","title":{"rendered":"Saint Etienne unveil \u2018Take Me To The Pilot\u2019 \u2014 Second single from farewell album"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>After 35 years of crafting timeless pop, Saint Etienne are taking one final bow \u2014 and they\u2019re doing it in style. The beloved London trio share&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/ffm.to\/takemetothepilot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Take Me To The Pilot<\/a><\/em>, the second single from their upcoming thirteenth (and final) studio album,&nbsp;\u2018International,\u2019 out September 5 via Heavenly Recordings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The track comes co-written and produced with none other than Paul Hartnoll of Orbital, delivering a dark, pulsing escape fantasy with one of the most addictive basslines Saint Etienne have ever laid down. It follows lead single&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/saint-etienne-are-going-out-with-a-bang-new-album-international-is-their-last-but-not-the-end\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Saint Etienne are going out with a bang: New album&nbsp;\u2018International\u2019&nbsp;is their last, but not the end\">Glad<\/a><\/em> and leans deep into mystery, reinvention, and the thrill of the unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>It\u2019s about escape, disappearance, reinvention,<\/em>\u201d says Bob Stanley. \u201c<em>Who\u2019s the pilot? You don\u2019t get to find out \u2014 that\u2019s the mystery, and the fun.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Pete Wiggs adds a lovely bit of full-circle lore: back in 1990, Stanley wrote about Orbital, which led to a backstage peek at their live setup \u2014 \u201c<em>slightly mystified<\/em>\u201d at the time, he reconnected years later with Paul in Hove. A few chats by the seafront later, and here we are with a collaboration that feels both inevitable and magical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The single arrives with a striking new video directed by long-time collaborator and acclaimed photographer Alasdair McLellan. Shot between Doncaster and Rome, it stars dancer Jet \u2014 first photographed by McLellan for&nbsp;<em>Arena Homme+<\/em>\u2014 breaking in front of suburban bungalows before spinning across Roman piazzas and even into the Vatican.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eJAq3Um7ynk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-CA&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201c<em>It turned into a kind of breakin\u2019 pilgrimage to St Peter\u2019s,\u201d<\/em> McLellan says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><em>International<\/em>&nbsp;is shaping up to be a bittersweet celebration of Saint Etienne\u2019s history, pulling in friends, heroes, and long-time admirers for a final round of collaborations. Expect appearances from Confidence Man, Vince Clarke, Erol Alkan, Nick Heyward, and Tim Powell (Xenomania), among others. The record closes with&nbsp;<em>The Last Time<\/em>, a reflective farewell to their fans \u2014 and to their own remarkable journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4641.jpeg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4641.jpeg?resize=640%2C640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Saint Etienne International cover artwork\" class=\"wp-image-43829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4641.jpeg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4641.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4641.jpeg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018<strong>International\u2019 track lis<\/strong>t<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Glad<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dancing Heart<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Go Betweens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sweet Melodies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Save It For A Rainy Day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fade<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brand New Me<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take Me To The Pilot<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two Lovers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why Are You Calling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He\u2019s Gone<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Last Time<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Saint Etienne aren\u2019t splitting up as friends, just stepping away from the studio. Their legacy \u2014 from that iconic\u00a0<em>Only Love Can Break Your Heart<\/em>\u00a0cover to\u00a0\u2018Foxbase<em> <\/em>Alpha\u2019 and beyond \u2014 is secure. And if\u00a0<em>Take Me To The Pilot<\/em>\u00a0is anything to go by, they\u2019re going out on a high.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>After 35 years of crafting timeless pop, Saint Etienne are taking one final bow \u2014 and they\u2019re doing it in style. The beloved London trio <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=43824\" title=\"Saint Etienne unveil \u2018Take Me To The Pilot\u2019 \u2014 Second single from farewell album\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Saint Etienne unveil \u2018Take Me To The Pilot\u2019 \u2014 Second single from farewell album #music #saintetienne #indiemusic","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":43827,"url":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4640.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[22,23,28,30,1907],"tags":[12676,1758,13011],"class_list":["post-43824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guitar-rock","category-indie","category-music","category-new-release","category-news","tag-international","tag-saint-etienne","tag-take-me-to-the-pilot"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_4640.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-boQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":42719,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=42719","url_meta":{"origin":43824,"position":0},"title":"Saint Etienne are going out with a bang: New album\u00a0\u2018International\u2019\u00a0is their last, but not the end","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"May 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Pop legends and synth-pop romantics Saint Etienne have just dropped some bittersweet news wrapped in shimmering pop goodness: their 13th and final studio album, \u2018International,\u2019 lands on September 5 via Heavenly Recordings. But don\u2019t panic\u2014the trio aren\u2019t breaking up. They\u2019re just gracefully bowing out of the album game with one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saint Etienne press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_4640.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_4640.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_4640.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_4640.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_4640.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25351,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=25351","url_meta":{"origin":43824,"position":1},"title":"Saint Etienne share &#8216;Breakneck Hill&#8217; and Confidence Man remix","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"May 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint Etienne have revealed Breakneck Hill, an instrumental interlude from their forthcoming album, 'Home Counties,'\u00a0 which is released via Heavenly Recordings on Friday 2nd June. Talking about Breakneck Hill,\u00a0Pete Wiggs of Saint Etienne said:\u00a0\"Breakneck Hill is one of several 'interludes' on our new album that capture facets of our youth\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;electronic music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"electronic music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saint Etienne","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Saint-Etienne-_6-by-Rob-Baker-Ashton-copy.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Saint-Etienne-_6-by-Rob-Baker-Ashton-copy.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Saint-Etienne-_6-by-Rob-Baker-Ashton-copy.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Saint-Etienne-_6-by-Rob-Baker-Ashton-copy.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24814,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=24814","url_meta":{"origin":43824,"position":2},"title":"Saint Etienne announce new album &#8216;Home Counties&#8217;","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"March 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Saint Etienne have announced their new album 'Home Counties,' which will be out on June 2nd via Heavenly Recordings. Along with the album announcement, they've released a new track titled Heather. Take a listen via Soundcloud below. \u00a0 The Home Counties are an embarrassing place to come from. The name\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;indie&quot;","block_context":{"text":"indie","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saint Etienne","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/86f582ed-1963-4908-90b2-bbbbf2af180e.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/86f582ed-1963-4908-90b2-bbbbf2af180e.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/86f582ed-1963-4908-90b2-bbbbf2af180e.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/86f582ed-1963-4908-90b2-bbbbf2af180e.jpg?fit=800%2C534&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40939,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=40939","url_meta":{"origin":43824,"position":3},"title":"Saint Etienne share new single \u2018Half Light\u2019","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"November 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Beloved British trio\u00a0Saint Etienne\u00a0are set to release their twelfth studio album,\u00a0\u2018The\u00a0Night,\u2019 on\u00a0December 13, 2024, via\u00a0Heavenly Recordings. A follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2021 album,\u00a0\u2018I\u2019ve Been Trying To Tell You,\u2019 \u2018The Night\u2019 delivers an ambient escape from the chaos of daily life, capturing the essence of the after-hours.\u00a0The album takes listeners\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;guitar rock&quot;","block_context":{"text":"guitar rock","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saint Etienne press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_3459.jpeg?fit=1063%2C709&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_3459.jpeg?fit=1063%2C709&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_3459.jpeg?fit=1063%2C709&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_3459.jpeg?fit=1063%2C709&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG_3459.jpeg?fit=1063%2C709&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5797,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=5797","url_meta":{"origin":43824,"position":4},"title":"Christmas Music Video Addiction: Tuesday December 25, 2012 edition","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"December 25, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Merry Christmas to all of you who are celebrating today. We pulled together some of our favourite \"festive\" videos which have a normal Culture Addicts twist. Enjoy. The Ramones: Merry Christmas (I Don\u2019t Want To Fight Tonight) [youtube_sc url=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4Y5GtaTrPHM\" theme=\"light\"] Run DMC: Christmas In Hollis [youtube_sc url=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OR07r0ZMFb8\" theme=\"light\"] Fulltime Killaz:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;music&quot;","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=28"},"img":{"alt_text":"Music Video Addiction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/music-video-addiction-gif.gif?fit=526%2C398&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/music-video-addiction-gif.gif?fit=526%2C398&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/music-video-addiction-gif.gif?fit=526%2C398&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30529,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=30529","url_meta":{"origin":43824,"position":5},"title":"Nightwatchers announce signing to L\u00f6vely Records + debut album","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"March 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Nightwatchers have announced their signing to L\u00f6vely Records. The french band will release their debut album 'La Paix ou le Sable' on April 12th. Nightwatchers have toured Europe repeatedly and released two EPs during the last couple of years. The upcoming album\u00a0'La Paix ou le Sable' deals with the decolonization\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;guitar rock&quot;","block_context":{"text":"guitar rock","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nightwatchers promo shot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/27028a31-0a86-4f4c-9b92-63e5b8402ad7.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/27028a31-0a86-4f4c-9b92-63e5b8402ad7.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/27028a31-0a86-4f4c-9b92-63e5b8402ad7.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/27028a31-0a86-4f4c-9b92-63e5b8402ad7.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/27028a31-0a86-4f4c-9b92-63e5b8402ad7.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43824"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43833,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43824\/revisions\/43833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}