Saint Etienne Delve Into Ambient on the Bold ‘The Night’

Saint Etienne are best known for their enduring early 1990s club hits “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and “Nothing Can Stop Us”. Still, the British electronic trio—Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs, and vocalist Sarah Cracknell—have continued to release new music throughout their 30-plus-year career. While their later work has failed to reach the same level of success, the pop trio, recognized for their sample-based production style, venture into new ambient territory on their latest release, The Night. Unlikely to become a sensation, Saint Etienne‘s 11th album reads more like an experiment, doubling as proof that they are still willing to reinvent themselves even with age. 

The Night opens with the chatter and laughter from a field recording. Suddenly, a door opens, and a man says, “Just take it nice and easy, settle in.” We’ve arrived, but where? The calm directive followed by swaths of ambiance suggests a day spa, and the sounds are being played amongst candles and pleasant aromas. ‘When you’re 20 or 21,” Cracknell begins, “You have so much belief / So much energy.” The track has the impression of a guided meditation. “Time flies / it slips and slides.” This statement seems to serve as the album’s central theme, appearing again later.  

The overall mood The Night creates is reflective and introspective. Much of the album is filled with the slow ebb and flow of ambiance. Glints of Saint Etienne’s former self show up in short interludes and subtle grooves. All the pieces flow into each other, blurring the lines between tracks. The record’s single, “Half Light”, features twinkling synths and deep swells around Cracknell’s vocals. “Through the Glass” begins with rainfall, a sample that is used frequently in later pieces. Crystalline synths shine like a beaded door, and the short track evokes a beautiful sense of awe and wonder. 

“Nightingale” is built from layers of piano, synths, and harpsichord, repeating short melodic patterns underneath Cracknell. The piece creates movement and tension, seemingly ramping up for something greater, something bigger sonically, but that resolution never arrives. “Gold” is an unexpected delight with its beautiful vocal melody, pulsing piano chords, and a soaring clarinet line. Cracknell asks the question: “Will it be gold? Tell me my fortune.” “Celestial” centers around romantic and flowy strings. Cracknell delivers the justification for the track’s title: “The stars spell out your name.”  

“Hear My Heart” offers listeners the closest thing to a climax on the record. The piece is supported by a wondrous churning of synths, like fireflies flashing in front of a night sky. Cracknell repeatedly sings: “Can you hear my heart?” Guitar softly sparkles as a deep buzzy bass tone pulses, and a sluggish beat sounding like a preset from 1970s organ starts to drive the piece; however, halfway through, it drops back down to a vast stirring of ambiance, more strings swelling behind Cracknell’s singing. “Alone Together” bookends the record with an echo-y Rhodes keyboard and guitar in a slow, spacey groove that sounds inspired by Pink Floyd‘s Dark Side of the Moon. It’s another pleasant surprise just as the album ends after its 41-minute run time.

Throughout Saint Etienne’s long career, the group have maintained a fresh sense of creativity by expanding their sound. Their previous album, 2021’s I’ve Been Trying to Tell You, was inspired by vaporwave, albeit slowing down British samples from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. Even earlier, 2017’s Home Counties was a concept album that responded to Brexit and the conservative region in which they grew up. While many artists try desperately to appease fans and stay relevant, Saint Etienne are more concerned about following their creative intuition. While that may result in more misses than makes, The Night is a fascinating turn in their ever-adventurous discography.