Fiat Lux - Desire & Belief (2026)

To be sitting down to review a third brand new album from Fiat Lux since they reformed in 2017, (the band having been dormant since the mid-80s), seems like some kind of dream – yet Desire & Belief, the first fruits of their signing with Liverpool’s 9×9 Records, arrives with ten sparkling new tracks to brighten up your February.

Known for their classic synthpop sound, (their ‘lost’ 80s album, Ark Of Embers, finally released in 2019, would sit comfortably with the likes of ABC, Propaganda and Human League and deserved the same level of success in my humble opinion), the record is at times more introspective than their previous work. This is evidenced immediately in instrumental opener ‘Summer Solstice’, a beautifully textured song that sounds like the sun rising across a Summer meadow. To balance it out, we also have a new version of their epic ‘Winter Solstice’ later in the album, which was originally a standalone festive release a couple of years ago. It is one of the tracks here that splendidly utilises the skills of newest member Will Howard on saxophone; Howard replacing the sadly late founder member Ian Nelson around the time of that reformation and makes up the trio with multi-instrumentalist and producer David Crickmore and singer Steve Wright.

There’s the classic, more upbeat Fiat Lux sound in spades though too – ‘Spirit Of The Age’ screams ‘SINGLE’ on first listen, an almost playfully jaunty track that is a great contrast to that atmospheric opener. There’s a real ominous feel to ‘Am I Dreaming’- to give a somewhat obscure point of reference, it’s reminiscent of the incredible Geniuser album from a few years back (heartily recommended!) and is no less affecting, seeming to suck the woes of the World into its very structure. ‘Clear Sky’ picks up the positivity again, it was a great choice for a leading track from the album and probably more along the lines of what might be expected as a new Fiat Lux single.

The album has an unhurried, really nicely-produced quality – it was recorded in Panopticon Studios in Lancashire, which Steve Wright described as being like a ‘mini Abbey Road’ for the band; “in terms of giving us room for experiment and creativity”. The previous album, 2021’s Twisted Culture, was a product of that strange Covid time, complete with file sharing and social distancing; being in a ‘real’ studio has resulted in a really organic-sounding record. ‘I Never Explode’ is almost a synthpop ballad, while ‘Shallow Hollow Souls’ is another brooding masterpiece that somehow sounds sparse and lush at the same time. The title track is built around an unusual drum track and rumbling bass which builds nicely, layering beautiful piano and just a tiny bit of Howard’s sax which makes more of an impact as a result.

‘Turn Me Around’ is absolute classic hook-laden Fiat Lux, Steve Wright’s voice as strong (across the whole album) as it was just those four decades ago. After ‘Winter Solstice’ comes closer ‘All The Stars Have Died’, spoken word and Nile Rodgers-style guitar competing with an unhinged saxophone to make for a dramatic and unexpected end to the record, not least because of the fact that it ends suddenly after just a couple of minutes.

Desire & Belief is classic Fiat Lux in the sense that it has a few surprises in there with the more straight-ahead – commercial if you will – synthpop; there are plenty of tunes here that will stay in your head after just a couple of listens, but there is also a more pastoral, reflective side to the group on show that is really affecting. In these days of curated playlists and track-shuffling, (and nothing wrong with that), Desire & Belief works better listened to as a complete album, as it’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into the sequencing and flow of the record. Another wonderful addition to the pleasingly expanding Fiat Lux discography.