No matter what the profession, after thirty-five years you would like to think the end is closer than the beginning. It is for Saint Etienne, with the trio confirming this album will be their last. They wanted to stop in their prime, yet continued for three decades after Foxbase Alpha. Works which range from serviceable to lightly charming followed and Glad, the first single from their final album, International, has all the relief expected of its title. They are not glad it is over, but are pleased with their cultural footprint. Saint Etienne has every right to be. They wanted to end on a high, and that is the sole aim of their work here. End things tightly, confidently, and with enough confidence in their efforts so as to look back on their final years as a working group and be satisfied. Glad offers plenty of bold and exciting sounds for Saint Etienne.
To leave an audience wanting more is a clear sign of success, especially if you can do it so many years after starting. Glad does just that. Play it loud enough and the whirring opener will jolt you awake, ready for this well-presented message, a musing on life as a lottery. It feels like a recognisable, throwaway phrase, the lottery of life. But it works brilliantly for Saint Etienne, who manages to bring out more than just the fundamentals of positivity and negativity. It is a damnable comment on the wider world that mere “good” or “bad” situations are the norm, rather than the fluidity and complexity of a situation. Very little is binary in this life, and Glad highlights this with a skilful instrumental flourish and a strong vocal performance. Fundamentals which we would certainly expect of the band, but are a surprise to hear all the same. It’s not a band pulling out all the stops to say goodbye to listeners. That would imply Saint Etienne were not trying their absolute best on previous releases.
But Glad is certainly a step up from the ambient, slower style which formed The Night. If International is as strong as Glad, then Saint Etienne will achieve what they want with this release. They wish to end on a high. Part of that comes from the positive-sounding instrumentals, that gliding sense which comes from high-strung string plucking and dense, well-placed percussion. It matters where those moments come through, and while Glad may sound like an instrumental blowout, it knows when to pause for a quieter moment. It’s a song of self-betterment, of looking for a way out of those lonely moments where the only option is to carry on, with the hope it, whatever it is, it gets better.
Working in the abstract helps Saint Etienne here. It’s a broad enough tone to take any form, but specific enough to feel heartfelt and genuine. Part of that comes from the break and rebuild of the instrumental style, but much of it comes from quality lyrics. Glad is a stellar piece from the group, one which has earned this sunset-facing farewell. Calling it quits after such consistent work together is a hard choice, but it sounds like the right one, as heartbreaking as it may be for long-term listeners. Everything passes eventually, which is the point of Glad. This moment shall pass, that high, this low, it all ends no matter what we do. It’s a sincere point made across Glad.
