Electronic music pioneers Soft Cell announce a super deluxe 6CD reissue of their classic 1983 album ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ on the 31st October 2025 via Universal Music. Soft Cell’s – aka singer and frontman Marc Almond and multi-instrumentalist and producer Dave Ball – second album is freshly remastered by Barry Grint from the original tapes and shows off the feted duo’s harder take on pop music in all its darkly textured and gothic-tinged glory.
For a taster of what’s to come, please watch the visualiser for ‘Ghost Rider’ above, an exclusive track featured across all three formats of the reissue. Originally a cover of track by iconic New York duo Suicide, ‘Ghost Rider’ has been recorded for the first time with brand new vocals from Marc, guest vocals from Jim Thirlwell from Foetus and saxophone from long term Soft Cell collaborator Gary Barnacle. Previously ‘Ghost Rider only existed live as part of the setlist of the band’s live shows during ‘The Art of Falling Apart’ era in 1983. It was performed for the first time in nearly 40 years at Soft Cell’s show at New York’s legendary Beacon Theatre in 2022, with Jim Thirwell duetting with Marc once again.
Additionally, Soft Cell will release the ‘Martin’ EP featuring Dave Ball’s Halloween Mix digitally and as a limited 12″, also perfectly timed for 31st October (pre-order here).
Following directly on from 1982’s seminal one-of-the-first remix albums ‘Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing’, ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ reached No. 5 on the UK charts. As befits an album celebrating difference and choosing art over the glitzy 80s pop dream, ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ gloriously twists and turns between anger, frustration and destruction to beauty, reflection and unity. Part of the emerging gothic scene of the early 1980s, the extended album spans the spiralling intensity of the title track and the terrifyingly great George A. Romero-inspired synth stabs of ‘Martin’ to the anthemic and brilliant portrait of the generation gap ‘Where The Heart Is’, epic bittersweet ballad ‘Loving You, Hating Me’ and the provocative single ‘Numbers’.
‘The Art of Falling Apart’ burst out of a period of pressure from then-label Phonogram to follow the rapid pop success of 1981 debut ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ and its chart-topping singles ‘Tainted Love’, ‘What!’, ‘Bedsitter’ and ‘Say Hello Wave Goodbye’. The reality of international pop stardom for two art students from Northern England was unwelcome and, frankly, uncomfortable. “We had an indie mentality”, explains Dave. “We got together at the tail-end of punk. I was originally just making music for Marc to do some performance art. He had heard my weird noises and bleeps coming out of the college music room and popped in. I did some music for him, and he then asked me what else I had. So I played him these odd, mutant pop tunes I’d been writing, and he asked if he could sing on them. I’d tried doing the vocals myself, but I’m not a singer. Marc sang them and, almost by accident, we found ourselves as a duo. It spiralled into Soft Cell from there.”
Marc continues: “Our attitude at the time of ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ might have alienated some of our younger and more middle-of-the-road fans, but we were being honest with ourselves. Dave was listening to lots of new music. He was revisiting his soundtrack influences and electronic roots. I’d been going to The Batcave, the club in Soho, and was hanging out with Nick Cave and Siouxsie Sioux. I’d sung on a Psychic TV album and performed live in the collaborative band The Immaculate Consumptive with Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and Clint Ruin. I was an art-school punk who enjoyed experimentation and confrontation, and all of that came to the fore on this record.”
Today, ‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ is expanded in a super deluxe edition over six discs, features 35 previously unreleased tracks and follows in the footsteps of the hugely successful ‘Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret’ 40th anniversary boxset in 2023. All is housed in a lavish 10”x 10” package, featuring the extended album, plus bonus 12” tracks, B-sides, rarities, remixes, instrumentals/dubs, brand new remixes and a full disc of demos as well as audio from live tv appearances from the time. The super deluxe edition also includes a 60-page hardback book, new notes from esteemed journalist Adrian Thrills and images from long term Soft Cell collaborator, photographer Peter Ashworth. All making this a must have for die-hard Soft Cell fans and electronic music afficionados alike.
‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ will also be available as double LP and double CD packages, featuring highlights from the 6CD box with the LP pressed on colour vinyl. Pre-order in all formats here: https://SoftCell.lnk.to/
Since their reunion in 2018, Soft Cell have made a steady return to prominence and continue to shake things up in their ever provocative, uncompromising way. 2022’s fifth studio album ‘Happiness Not Included’ featured a chart-topping collaboration with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys in ‘Purple Zone’ as well as collaboration with experimental queer artist CHRISTEENE. Most recently, Soft Cell toured Australia for the first time ever, followed by the States extensively in May and June with Simple Minds. Closer to home, Soft Cell’s headline set at Rewind festival in Henley-on-Thames on Saturday 16th August was a triumph. Always pushing forwards in the studio, Marc and Dave have just finished their next record entitled ‘Danceteria‘. Soft Cell’s sixth studio album is set for release in Spring 2026; full details are to follow.
‘The Art Of Falling Apart’ reissue tracklistings across all three formats:
6CD
CD1 – REMASTERED ALBUM, B SIDES, BONUS 12″
1. Forever The Same – remastered 2025
2. Where The Heart Is – remastered 2025
3. Numbers – remastered 2025
4. Heat – remastered 2025
5. Kitchen Sink Drama – remastered 2025
6. Baby Doll – remastered 2025
7. Loving You, Hating Me – remastered 2025
8. The Art Of Falling Apart – remastered 2025
9. Martin – remastered 2025
10. Hendrix Medley – remastered 2025
11. It’s A Mug’s Game (7″ Version) – remastered 2025
12. Barriers (7″ Version) – remastered 2025
13. Loving You, Hating Me – Special Mix / remastered 2025
CD2 – THE ART OF FALLING APART – EXTENDED ALBUM PLUS ORIGINAL 12″ B SIDES
1. Forever The Same (Original 12″ version) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
2. Where The Heart Is (Original 12″ version) – remastered 2025
3. Numbers (Original 12″ version) – remastered 2025
4. Heat (2018 extended version) – remastered 2025
5. Kitchen Sink Drama (2018 extended version) – remastered 2025
6. Baby Doll (2025 extended version) – previously unreleased
7. Loving You, Hating Me (Original 12″ version) – remastered 2025
8. The Art Of Falling Apart (2018 extended version) – remastered 2025
9. It’s A Mug’s Game (Original 12″ version) – remastered 2025
10. Barriers (Original 12″ version) – remastered 2025
CD3 – CURIOS, RARITIES, REMIXES & NEW MIXES
1. Ghost Rider (New 2025 version featuring Jim Thirlwell) – previously unreleased
2. Martin (The Hacker Remix) – previously unreleased
3. It’s A Mug’s Game (Dave Ball 2025 Re-Eq Version) – previously unreleased
4. Where The Heart Is (The Grid Remix) – remastered 2025
5. Baby Doll (Nightwreckers Remix) – remastered 2025
6. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Mix – Full Version) – remastered 2025 and full version previously unreleased
7. Martin (Dave Ball Halloween Mix) – remastered 2025
8. Where The Heart Is (Marcas Lancaster Remix) – remastered 2025
9. The Art Of Falling Apart (Atomizer Remix) – remastered 2025
10. Barriers (Dark Poets Remix) – remastered 2025
11. Heat (Yer Man 2025 Remix) – previously unreleased
12. Martin (Nightwreckers 2025 Remix) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
CD4 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (DEMOS & LIVE TV APPEARANCES)
1. Forever The Same (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
2. Where The Heart Is (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
3. Numbers (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
4. Heat (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
5. Kitchen Sink Drama (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
6. Baby Doll (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
7. Loving You, Hating Me (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
8. The Art Of Falling Apart (Original 1982 demo) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
9. Numbers (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased audio
10. Heat (Live on BBC ORS, 14/1/83) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased audio
11. Ghost Rider (Live on CH4 The Tube) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased audio
12. Numbers 7″ (DJ Version) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased audio
13. Heat (US Single Edit) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased audio
14. Baby Doll (Dave Ball Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing version) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased audio
15. Numbers (Dave Ball Non-Stop Euphoric Dubbing version) – remastered 2025
16. Barriers (Dave Ball Broken Down Angels Dub version) – remastered 2025
CD5 – THE ART OF FALLING APART (INSTRUMENTALS & DUBS)
1. Forever The Same (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
2. Where The Heart Is (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
3. Numbers (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
4. Heat (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
5. Kitchen Sink Drama (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
6. Baby Doll (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
7. Loving You, Hating Me (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
8. The Art Of Falling Apart (Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
9. It’s A Mugs’ Game (12″ Instrumental version) – previously unreleased
10. Martin (2025 Dub Mix) – previously unreleased
11. Hendrix Medley (Instrumental) – previously unreleased
12. Barriers (Instrumental) – previously unreleased
13. Ghost Rider (Original 1983 Backing Track) – remastered and previously unreleased
CD6 – THE ART OF TOURING APART (LIVE IN LONDON 2018-2021 + MORE)
1. Forever The Same – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
2. Where The Heart Is – Live at Hammersmith Apollo – 16th November 2021 – remastered 2025
3. Numbers – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
4. Heat – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
5. Kitchen Sink Drama – Live at Hammersmith Apollo – 16th November 2021 – remastered 2025
6. Baby Doll – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
7. Loving You, Hating Me – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
8. The Art Of Falling Apart – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
9. Martin – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
10. Barriers – Live at The O2 Arena – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
11. Hey Joe/Purple Haze – Live in USA, 1983 – remastered 2025
12. It’s A Mug’s Game – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983 – remastered 2025
13. Ghost Rider – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983 – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased
14. Numbers – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983 – remastered 2025
2CD
CD1
1. Forever The Same – remastered 2025
2. Where The Heart Is – remastered 2025
3. Numbers – remastered 2025
4. Heat – remastered 2025
5. Kitchen Sink Drama – remastered 2025
6. Baby Doll – remastered 2025
7. Loving You, Hating Me – remastered 2025
8. The Art Of Falling Apart – remastered 2025
9. Martin – remastered 2025
10. Hendrix Medley – remastered 2025
11. It’s A Mug’s Game (7″ version) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased on CD
12. Barriers (7″ version) – remastered 2025 and previously unreleased on CD
13. Loving You, Hating Me – Special Mix – remastered 2025
CD2
1. Ghost Rider (New 2025 version featuring Jim Thirlwell) – previously unreleased
2. Where The Heart Is (12″ original version) – remastered 2025
3. It’s A Mug’s Game (Dave Ball 2025 Re-Eq Version) – previously unreleased
4. Numbers (12″ Original version) – remastered 2025
5. Barriers (12″ Original version) – remastered 2025
6. Loving You, Hating Me (12″ Original version) – remastered 2025
7. Forever The Same (12″ Original version) – remastered 2025
8. Heat (US Single Edit) – remastered 2025
9. Where The Heart Is – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
10. Numbers – Live at The O2 – 30th September 2018 – remastered 2025
11. It’s A Mug’s Game – Live at Hammersmith Palais, 1983 – remastered 2025
2LP
LP1
A1. Forever The Same – remastered 2025
A2. Where The Heart Is – remastered 2025
A3. Numbers – remastered 2025
A4. Heat – remastered 2025
B1. Kitchen Sink Drama – remastered 2025
B2. Baby Doll – remastered 2025
B3. Loving You, Hating Me – remastered 2025
B4. The Art Of Falling Apart – remastered 2025
LP2
C1. Martin – remastered 2025
C2. Hendrix Medley – remastered 2025
D1. It’s A Mug’s Game (7″ version) – remastered 2025
D2. Barriers (7″ version) – remastered 2025
D3. Ghost Rider – (New 2025 version featuring Jim Thirlwell) – previously unreleased
D4. Heat (US 7″ version) – 2025 remastered