Band · United Kingdom
Saint Etienne
Formed in 1990
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About
Saint Etienne () are an English band from Greater London, formed in 1990. The band consists of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. Initially emerging from the indie dance scene of the 1990s, their music has blended club culture with 1960s pop and other disparate influences.
Their debut album, Foxbase Alpha, was released to critical acclaim in 1991, featuring their most enduring hits "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Nothing Can Stop Us". It was followed by So Tough (1993), with the number twelve single "You're in a Bad Way", and the techno folk experiment of Tiger Bay (1994); both albums reached the top-ten. Their early period was rounded out by the gold-certified compilation Too Young to Die: Singles 1990–1995, producing the band's highest-charting single, "He's on the Phone" with Étienne Daho.
The band recorded Good Humor (1998) at Tambourine Studios in Sweden on entirely analogue equipment, and the album's lead single "Sylvie" reached number twelve in the UK charts. With Sound of Water (2000), recorded in Berlin with To Rococo Rot, the group pivoted towards ambient music, while Finisterre (2002) and Tales from Turnpike House (2005) distilled these stylistic diversions and saw a return to their early influences and subject matter, referencing London, British cinema and popular culture. Words and Music by Saint Etienne (2012) saw them work with former Xenomania's Tim Powell and Nick Coler as well as Rob Davis, while Home Counties (2017) was co-produced by Shawn Lee. The group used vaporwave-inspired samples on I've Been Trying to Tell You (2021), which became their highest-charting album since 1994 at number fourteen. The Night (2024) took their sound further into beatless atmospherics. International was released on 5 September 2025. The band has said it is their final studio album.
The band's name comes from the French football club AS Saint-Étienne.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Also in Français
Saint Etienne est un groupe anglais formé à Londres et composé de Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley et Pete Wiggs, évoluant entre la musique électronique et la pop indépendante. Le nom du groupe fait référence à l'AS Saint-Étienne, un club de football français particulièrement célèbre dans les années 70.
Connu pour faire un usage important des samples, et ses nombreux changements de style au cours des années, le groupe a sorti douze albums entre 1990 et 2025, dont le premier, Foxbase Alpha (1990), figure dans l'ouvrage Les 1001 albums qu'il faut avoir écoutés dans sa vie.
Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Discography
Albums
- 1991 Foxbase Alpha
- 1993 So Tough
- 1994 Tiger Bay
- 1998 Good Humor
- 2000 Sound of Water
- 2002 Finisterre
- 2005 Tales From Turnpike House
- 2012 Words and Music by Saint Etienne
- 2017 Home Counties
- 2021 I’ve Been Trying to Tell You
- 2024 The Night
- 2025 International
EPs
- 1993 Who Do You Think You Are
- 1993 I Was Born on Christmas Day
- 1995 Xmas '95
- 1997 Valentines Day '97
- 1999 Places to Visit
- 2003 Xmas 2003
- 2009 Now 4
- 2011 Xmas '11
- 2017 Dive
- 2018 Surrey EP
- 2018 Surrey North
- 2020 Xmas 2020
Show all (16)
- 2021 Foxbase Rarities
- 2021 Her Winter Coat
- 2024 Deep Into the Night
- 2025 Brand New Me
Singles
- 1990 Only Love Can Break Your Heart
- 1990 It's On / Only Love Can Break Your Heart
- 1990 Kiss and Make Up
- 1991 Nothing Can Stop Us
- 1991 Filthy
- 1992 Join Our Club / People Get Real
- 1992 Avenue
- 1993 You’re in a Bad Way
- 1993 Hobart Paving / Who Do You Think You Are
- 1994 Pale Movie
- 1994 Like a Motorway
- 1994 Hug My Soul
Show all (52)
- 1995 He’s on the Phone
- 1996 Angel / Burnt Out Car
- 1996 The EMIDISC Theme / On The Brink
- 1996 The Sea (PFM Mix)
- 1998 Sylvie
- 1998 The Bad Photographer
- 1998 Lose That Girl
- 1998 Xmas ’98
- 1999 Lover Plays the Bass
- 1999 Saturday / F32
- 1999 52 Pilot
- 2000 How We Used to Live
- 2000 Tell Me Why (The Riddle)
- 2000 Heart Failed (In the Back of a Taxi)
- 2001 Boy Is Crying
- 2002 Shower Scene
- 2002 Action
- 2003 Soft Like Me
- 2005 Side Streets
- 2005 A Good Thing
- 2006 Merry Xmas 2006 From Saint Etienne
- 2007 This Is Tomorrow
- 2008 Burnt Out Car
- 2009 Method of Modern Love
- 2009 Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Foxbase Beta mix)
- 2010 Re-issue Roustabout
- 2012 Tonight
- 2012 I’ve Got Your Music
- 2014 Pocket Call
- 2015 We Survived
- 2017 Heather
- 2017 Magpie Eyes
- 2018 Camel Coat / Little Chef
- 2019 Saturday Boy
- 2019 Marble Lions (Sarah Plus Orchestra)
- 2019 Christmas 2019
- 2020 Spring
- 2021 After the Rain
- 2021 Pond House
- 2021 Penlop