Single review: Duran Duran unleashes 'Invisible' with eye toward future, past

Duran Duran has been going big for more than 40 years, and the band shows no sign of stopping with new single "Invisible."

The song, from the forthcoming "Future Past" that's set for release Oct. 22 via Tape Modern/BMG, is one of 12 album tracks, plus three bonus tracks. Two more of the album's song titles revealed by band members so far are "All of You" and "Can't Say That It's Love," both purportedly featuring Bowie pianist Mike Garson.

But "Invisible" is the only song to have surfaced thus far, and its whispered intro may be the only quiet thing about it. The members of Duran, behind producer Erol Alkan, form a wall of sound with Nick Rhodes' funky keyboards, John Taylor's slap bass, and Roger Taylor's powerful electro drums. Graham Coxon's guitar stabs are at times reminiscent of early Andy Taylor. 

Among modern-day Duran albums, the sound falls somewhere between the slickly produced electro pop of "Paper Gods" and the more organic "All You Need Is Now." But whatever sound Duran decides to go for, the be-all-end-all is Simon Le Bon's voice. 

Whether the music on "Future Past" is an identifiable as Duran as Le Bon's vocals remains to be seen. For his part, Alkan promises that the songs he has produced capture the "spirit and dynamic" of Duran "as I know them now, or as I remember them whilst growing up." 

"Invisible" is backed by a spooky new video by AI "director" Huxley, touted by the band as the "first collaboration of its kind between artists in different planes of existence."

Next up, the Billboard Music Awards, where the band shares the bill with acts like BTS and Pink. This album cycle, apparent grabs for younger listeners have been accompanied by an array of physical products like colored vinyl aimed squarely at its target audience. 

This time out, Duran Duran seems to be truly straddling the line between its future and its past.

At top, "Future Past" album artwork (Tape Modern/BMG)

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Duran Duran’s long-awaited single materializes May 19; ‘Future Past’ album due in October

New music by Duran Duran is finally coming into focus, with the single “Invisible” ready to drop and the band’s new album, “Future Past,” expected out this fall. 

The band has been sharing bits of the song on radio and social media since announcing its upcoming performance at the Billboard Music Awards. One of those brief snippets aired at the end of the two-part “Duran 40” show on BBC Radio 2. Zoe Ball is set to premiere the single in full on Radio 2 on Wednesday.

Details of the band’s new album were revealed after a virtual meet and greet with bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor on Friday presented by BMG. The 12-track “Future Past” is set to be released in October. The studio album, Duran’s 15th, will be the band’s first album in six years. “Paper Gods” was released by Warner Bros in 2015.

Mark Ronson, who lent his production to “Paper Gods,” is back in the fold, as well as fellow producers Erol Alkan and the legendary Giorgio Moroder. The band has also enlisted singer Lykke Li and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.

Early reports suggest an outsize role by Coxon on the album. He appeared in photos with the four Durans outside Hammersmith Odeon in London last week. He’ll also join the band for the “live premiere” of “Invisible” performed remotely from London and airing during the Billboard Awards broadcast on May 23.

A video for “Invisible” is also imminent. Duran shared a clip from the video on Twitter that seems to follow the ghost-like theme of the single artwork (above). The band also revealed the album artwork ahead of its availability for preorder.

Fans couldn’t be happier with the acceleration of “Durantime.” Since the release of “Paper Gods,” there has been no new music, save for a cover of David Bowie’s “Five Years” released earlier this year. COVID-19 had slowed down progress on the album for Duran, whose recording process involves writing together in the studio. The lingering effects of the pandemic and the cancellation of most of the band’s concerts this summer had raised worries that any new releases would be put off anew.

But come Wednesday, Duranies at long last will be listening to a new single in full and looking forward to a new album in about five months’ time. I’m happy to share in the excitement … and share my review of “Invisible” later this week!