Bristol-based indie pop collective Modesty Blaise presents the remastered 25th Anniversary edition of their seminal album “Melancholia”, released via From Lo-Fi to Disco! Breathing new life into this cult-classic, its new polished, high-fidelity presence demands a place in the modern pop canon.
Featuring newly-restored audio, many outtakes from the original sessions and updated artwork in a fantastic new 3 Disc version, this release reflects on the album’s legacy and continued resonance. The 2026 remaster has been completed with a light-touch approach, focused on clarity and depth rather than reinvention. Greater dynamic range and enhanced detail bring new presence to the recording, revealing subtle textures and spatial nuance while preserving the character of the original mix.
Originally on CD and vinyl, “Melancholia” remains a quietly influential work more than two decades after its release — defined by emotional precision, sonic restraint, and a timeless sense of atmosphere. At that time, the band was made up of Jonny Collins, David W Brown, Gregory Jones, Clem Courtney and Julien Clapperton.
Formed in 1993 by Jonny Collins, Modesty Blaise recorded their debut single ‘Christina Terrace’ with Edwyn Collins at the helm, leading to immediate success with a live appearance on ITV and inclusion among many end-of-year top music rankings. Other highlights include supporting Robbie Williams at London’s O2 Arena, inclusion in a Rough Trade compilation, an ITV company documentary on Jonny Collins, and a BBC Radio session involving seventeen people.
“For quite a while, people have been asking us why our biggest album wasn’t available to stream. We decided that, if we were going to do it, we’d do it properly. The remastering process was really interesting. The point was to reveal extra detail within the songs,” says Jonny Collins.
“We already knew it was dense, it’s been a longstanding thing within MB that, not only do we throw the kitchen sink in, we break in next door, rip out their sink and throw that in too. But modern mastering has brought more clarity; we’re really happy with it”.
Gregory Jones adds, “The goal wasn’t to change the music – only to let it breathe the way it was always meant to.”
Earlier, the band released the remastered version of “Carol Mountain” and “The Little Things You Do”, a lost masterpiece of baroque-pop with lush, orchestral depth, originally intended for its aborted 7-inch release. The respective videos were filmed in New York and Germany during the band’s respective Melancholia tours so many years ago.
On April 24th, the “Melancholia – Remaster” album is available across digital platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.
‘MELANCHOLIA – REMASTER’
Disc 1: Melancholia – Remastered
Disc 2: Melancholia [de]Construction
Disc 3: Melancholia – The Singles
CREDITS
Written by Jonny Collins
Mixed & produced by Jonny Collins
Remastering at White House Studio by original engineer Martin Nichols
Jonny Collins – vocals & guitar
David W Brown – bass guitar
Gregory Jones – guitar & vocals
Clem Courtney – organ &vocals
Julien Clapperton – drums & cymbals
Video created by Jonny Collins
Germany tour footage filmed by Bernd Kabs
Cover artwork by Gregory Jones
Released via From Lo-Fi to Disco!
Catalogue #lo-fi 035
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR