Alison Goldfrapp announces new album ‘The Love Invention’

Alison Goldfrapp has announced details of her debut solo album, The Love Invention.

The dancefloor-focused record, out 12 May, follows the release of her January track ‘Digging Deeper– a glistening electropop collab with German producers Claptone about personal evolution – and her collaboration with Paul Woolford on ‘Fever’.

Today, Alison has also unveiled the first single from the album: the house and disco-inflected anthem about living for the moment, ‘So Hard So Hot’.

Written by Alison and Richard X, the track marks her first completely solo single.

Speaking to Rolling Stone UK about her new era, Alison said: “I’m excited. Better late than never! Did I want to do it sooner? I think I probably have. But I felt it wasn’t quite the right time.”

“There’s a certain confidence I’ve gained,” the singer continued. “Lockdown sort of forced a new independency that I hadn’t really experienced in the same way before. It forced me to set up a studio in my home and to do things independently, which I hadn’t quite done in that way before. And through that, it gave me a new confidence. ‘Oh, I can experiment a bit more.’ ‘Oh, I can reach out to that person and say, do you fancy doing something.’ I felt like it was a time to try out new things.”

A euphoric celebration of love, growth and personal freedom, The Love Invention follows Alison’s seven albums as one half of music duo Goldfrapp, alongside Will Gregory. Released between 2000 and 2017 , the duo scored five UK top 10s.

The Love Invention will also feature a previously unheard version of ‘Fever’: another moody, transportive dance track in the realm of Goldfrapp’s Supernature.

Describing the LP’s sound, Ivor Novello Award-winner Alison explained how she’d “wanted to do something more rhythmic and electronic for some time.”

She likened the LP’s “chic” sound to Supernature – Goldfrapp’s most critically-acclaimed and commercially-successful album – but added: “It’s more dance, electronic, pop than anything Goldfrapp did.”

The star said that “she’s in a happier place generally, and I’m much more aware of time, and enjoying the now, and trying to separate myself from a lot of old s*it. I’m celebrating.”

Discussing lyrics to ‘Digging Deeper Now’ such as “everything has changed, in my head, in my heart, in my veins,” Alison said: “That lyric came about after lockdown, a feeling of: ‘Yeah, everything’s changed. I’ve changed. Everything around me has changed.’ Personally, I feel like I’ve changed. Physically, I feel like I’ve changed. So many things. It felt like a very simple, direct way of explaining it. You sense these things, don’t you, but you’re not necessarily able to articulate everything that you’re feeling, or what things are.”

The Love Invention, released via Skint and executively produced and co-written by Alison, will be available on CD, black 180g vinyl and a limited-edition purple vinyl from HMV and independent reecord stores. Pre-order/pre-save the album here. Alison’s official artist store also has a limited-edition green vinyl as well as exclusive album merchandise.

Alison will also take to the stage for the first time as a solo artist on 18 May, at London’s Outernet.

Rolling Stone UK’s full interview with Alison will appear in print in issue 11 of the magazine, out on shelves and to download on 8 May 2023.