After the release of their debut studio album last year, more than 40 years after their breakup, The Loft returns in May 2026 with its second opus. Badges, composed of ten tracks, captures the very essence of what defined The Loft back then and continues to define them today. Pioneers of a genre all their own, they have nothing left to prove — neither to themselves nor to anyone else — and this ease and quiet confidence shine through in every track on the album. The album includes 10 new tracks, recorded at producer Sean Read's Famous Times studio in Hackney, and is released on the Tapete Records label. The Loft famously broke up mid-concert at the Hammersmith Palais 40 years ago, after reaching the top of the indie charts. The band now releases its second album of original compositions, following the success of its first album, Everything Changes Everything Stays The Same, which charted in the Top 20 of vinyl sales last year. The four original members, Pete Astor, Dave Morgan, Bill Prince and Andy Strickland, have produced an album that continues and enriches the story of The Loft, the band that helped define the sound of the Creation label and the nascent indie genre. Badges has a sound that emanates from a band that has been playing together for two years, touring and gigging nonstop: a relaxed, vibrant and confident sound.