Chrissie Hynde promises the new Pretenders album, Hate For Sale, will push its musical boundaries. The new set, due out on July 17th, marks the band's first since the 2016 Alone album, and features the studio debut of the band's current touring ensemble — including original drummer Martin Chambers, longtime guitarist James Walbourne, and bassist Nick Wilkinson.
We caught up with Hynde and asked her what fans can expect from the new album: “It's very, very Pretenders. It's got a very wide range of songs; there's one that kind of sounds like the Specials — kind of a reggae kind of thing. There's something that's, I don't know, like, a Lou Rawls ballad. We've got something with a string quartet, which is more of a tender ballad. We've got some Gary Glitter-esque, kind of, real rockers. It's impossible to say anything's 'retro' now — or 'avant garde' — 'cause everything's been done, and everything seems to be in cycles. You're either on the right side of the cycle or the wrong side.”
The Pretenders recently scrapped their entire 60-date summer tour with Journey due to the ongoing pandemic.