The Violet Hour

Description

On October 24, 2025, Merge Records will reissue The Clientele's debut album, The Violet Hour, on vinyl on its own label for the very first time. Long out of print and highly sought after since its initial release in 2003 on Pointy, this album is now available, offering listeners the opportunity to rediscover a work that has achieved cult status. After the success of Suburban Light in 2001, a compilation of the band's early singles and EPs, expectations were high for what Alasdair MacLean, Mark Keen, and James Hornsey could accomplish in the studio for a true album. Recorded in the autumn of 2002 at London's Medina Road Studios, The Violet Hour expands on the already precise motif of 1960s psychedelia and modern fuzz-pop, enriched with jazz inflections and an increased attention to atmosphere afforded by the long-playing format. With its languid melodies and reverb-drenched choruses, the album stretches the twilight infinitely, capturing places, moods, thoughts, and desires. A sparkling gem, both sublime and tragic, The Violet Hour stands as a pivotal work in The Clientele's catalog. More than just a well-kept secret of indie pop, the band has established itself as one of its major figures, and this album remains one of its most essential statements.