The Divine Comedy have announced their 13th studio album, Rainy Sunday Afternoon, out on 19 September 2025, with lead single Achilles available to stream now.

Recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in autumn 2024, the album sees Neil Hannon in a more introspective and emotionally reflective mood. “My musical output is, for better or worse, a representation of my personality”, Hannon shared. “A good chunk of that personality revels in the rumbumptious, celebrates the silly… But like everyone, I have a darker, more melancholy side. I needed to use this album as an outlet for those feelings. To work through some stuff – mortality, memories, relationships, political and social upheaval.”

With its orchestral pop arrangements and lyrical depth, Rainy Sunday Afternoon promises to deliver the kind of wit, warmth and poignancy fans have come to expect but with an added emotional weight shaped by recent years. Hannon jokes, “Everyone should get to make an orchestral pop album once in a while. It should be available on the NHS.”

The album will be available in a variety of formats, including limited edition dark green BioVinyl, a deluxe 2CD set with live recordings from Paris and London, and an aqua blue cassette, among others. Fans who pre-order from the band’s webstore will also gain access to a pre-sale ticket code for upcoming UK tour dates.

While no Luxembourg show has been announced just yet, The Divine Comedy have a strong history of performing here, so fingers crossed the European dates in 2026 bring them back our way.

And for fans wanting more from Neil Hannon, don’t miss his previous interview with Sam Steen on Today Radio, recorded during the band’s last visit to Luxembourg. You can listen to that conversation via the player below.

Interview with The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon

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