Relentless Pretenders

• 1Losing My Sense Of Taste04:13
• 2A Love03:25
• 3Domestic Silence04:03
• 4The Copa04:03
• 5The Promise Of Love03:10
• 6Merry Widow04:44
• 7Let the Sun Come In03:53
• 8Look Away03:16
• 9Your House Is On Fire03:45
• 10Just Let It Go05:14
• 11Vainglorious02:48
• 12I Think About You Daily06:25
• Total Runtime48:59

Info for Relentless

The Pretenders are back! RELENTLESS, their fourteenth studio album arriving with the impulsiveness and attitude that at once defines the band’s eternal spirit, RELENTLESS is a clearly defined snapshot of where The Pretenders are in 2023. It features 12 new songs co-written by the iconic Chrissie Hynde and Pretenders' guitarist James Walbourne.

RELENTLESS is the second consecutive Pretenders album to be written as a collaboration between Chrissie Hynde and the band’s resident guitar hero, James Walbourne. Especially sought after in his own right, having recorded with Dave Gahan, Jerry Lee Lewis, and The Rails amongst many more.

Speaking about the album title, Chrissie Hynde said:

“I enjoy seeing the various meanings and origins of a word. And I liked the definition: “showing no abatement of intensity”. It’s the life of the artist. You never retire. You become relentless.”

The news arrives as The Pretenders look ahead to a massive summer of live performances. Tomorrow night, Friday 12th May, the band will unleash new songs from ‘Relentless’ as they headline Brighton’s Great Escape Festival, starting a sold out tour of very special exclusive club shows visiting some of the UK and Ireland’s most intimate venues.

On 30th June The Pretenders will join Guns N’ Roses as special guests at London’s BST Hyde Park, and at huge outdoor shows in Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands, before headline performances at summer festivals including Midnight Sun, Bearded Theory, Black Deer and Kite. In October the band will land in America to play Ohana Festival, California, by invitation of Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl. More 2023 live activity is soon to be announced.

‘Relentless’ is the second consecutive Pretenders album to be written as a collaboration between Chrissie Hynde and the band’s resident guitar hero, James Walbourne. Especially sought after in his own right, having recorded with Dave Gahan, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Rails amongst many more.

Speaking about the Hynde/Walbourne songwriting process, Chrissie Hynde said:

“We had developed this method of working remotely and it seemed like we just kept on doing it for this album. This is something that we’ve honed down to an art in the last few years. He always comes up with something I wouldn’t have thought of myself and I love surprises.”

Produced by David Wrench and recorded at Battery Studios in West London, the album’s 12 tracks feature what Chrissie describes as “The Pretenders Collective”. This extended band features James Walbourne (guitars), Kris Sonne (drums), Chris Hill (double bass), Dave Page (bass) and Carwyn Ellis (keyboards and guitars).

‘Relentless’ also features a long hoped-for collaboration with the esteemed composer Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead, The Smile), who provides the string arrangement and conducted the 12 Ensemble for the album’s beautiful closing track, ‘I Think About You Daily’.

‘Relentless’ is The Pretenders’ first album to be released via Warner Brothers – Parlophone’s parent record label – since 1999. After first signing to small independent label Real Records on the back of the heyday of punk rock, The Pretenders’ first single led them to sign with Sire – whose parent company was also Warner Brothers – via legendary A&R Seymour Stein, a partnership lasting 20 years.

The Pretenders

Pretenders
were formed in 1978 with singer Chrissie Hynde on vocals, Pete Farndon on bass, James Honeyman-Scott on guitar and Martin Chambers on drums.

They released two LP’s, Pretenders – which charted at #1 in the UK and #9 in the States - and Pretenders II, and one EP, Extended Play. The band enjoyed worldwide chart success with singles including Stop Your Sobbing, Kid, Brass In Pocket, Talk of The Town and I Go To Sleep. The band was constantly on the road and enjoyed heavy MTV rotation.

In 1982 they were dealt a difficult year: a parting of ways with Pete Farndon being swiftly followed by the death of James Honeyman-Scott. Pete’s death came a year later.

Subsequently the band’s line-up remained fluid and the band went on to release the albums Learning to Crawl, Get Close and Packed! between 1984 and 1990.

After a 4-year hiatus came the band’s next release Last of the Independents, followed in 1995 by Isle of View, a live acoustic album recorded over two nights in London with the Duke String Quartet.

1999 saw the release of Viva El Amor, the last album to be released on longtime label Warner Records, and their next album Loose Screw was released on Artemis Records in 2002.

Neil Young inducted the Pretenders into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and their next release, Break Up The Concrete, came in 2008.

The band have toured the world and performed in front of over 4 million people. Pretenders continue to play together.

This album contains no booklet.