Paul Heaton has reunited with producer Ian Broudie on his forthcoming album Jenius.
The follow-up to 2024’s The Mighty Several will arrive on August 21, with the first taste, Favourite Kind Of Idiot, now streaming.
The Beautiful South star and Lightning Seeds frontman Ian crafted the collection at Blueprint Studios in Manchester.
The 15-track record features Heaton’s band, regular live vocalist Rianne Downey, and a guest appearance from Irish singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke on The Whisky Did.
Despite the tongue-in-cheek title, Paul says the name comes from a long-running joke about how he reacts when praised.
He explained: “If anybody ever calls me a genius, I always say, ‘What?! With a J?!’ The spelling would obviously be wrong.”
He adds that the songs themselves are anything but modest, touching on “love and loneliness, pubs and booze, community and counsel, a nod to football, the state of the nation, and the overall wisdom of kindness.”
His aim, he says, is simple: “If I can get a variety of people of all sorts of backgrounds to say, ‘Oh, that could be about me or you,’ then I’ve been successful.”
The album’s first single, Favourite Kind Of Idiot, sets the tone. Heaton describes it as “a love story between two people who see the same fallibilities, the same daftness, in each other.”
He added: “I point out the niceness in not getting things right and not being perfect, especially with ‘You ain’t no beaut/ But I don’t date you for the view…’ It’s a song in favour of the idiotic people and how charming they can be… Even though it’s a bit silly, I think it’s probably the most romantic song on the album.”
Paul will take the new material on the road this autumn, announcing a full UK arena tour for October and November.
Dates include Manchester Co-op Live, London’s The O2, Leeds First Direct Arena, Glasgow OVO Hydro, Liverpool M+S Bank Arena and Sheffield Arena, with Lightning Seeds joining as special guests.
Tickets go on sale on June 5 at 9.30am via www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.gigsandtours.com.
Jenius will be released on digital platforms, vinyl, CD and cassette.
The Jenius tracklisting:
1. Can’t Get Next To You
2. Favourite Kind Of Idiot
3. I Want The Job
4. Sad Songs And Lawsuits
5. She Ain’t Pretty
6. One Eye Open
7. Send In The Clowns
8. Do Not Ask Me
9. Don’t Lean On Me
10. Jet Black Sky
11. The Whisky Did
12. Before Before
13. Good For The Bees
14. Go Upstream
15. A Son A Father
