Everything But the Girl—the lounge-pop duo formed by Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt in the early ’80s—have announced their return with Blue Reservoir, set to be released via the band’s own Buzzin’ Fly Records on February 19. The album was inspired in part by the band’s return to the stage in 2025 during a residency at MOTH Club, where they were promoting their first album in nearly 25 years. “There was an intensity and simplicity to the MOTH shows that took us back to how we started out,” shared Thorn. “Direct, rooted in guitar and voice, a few extra colors. We hadn’t been in that world for a long time and it just felt fresh and real.”
Watt spoke about the nylon string guitar, which he used to write a significant amount of the record: “It is the sound of so much of the music I first connected with growing up, and I’d never actually owned one. It became quite an emotional springboard for me. I found a voice I thought I’d lost.”
The album’s first single, “Young and Dumb,” it out today alongside a music video directed by Edward Bishop. Check that out below, and pre-order Blue Reservoir here.
