*Happiness Not Included

The fifth Soft Cell studio album and the first in two decades, Happiness Not Included was a surprise after Marc Almond and Dave Ball had staged a 2018 farewell show but to be fair, they did say at the time that they hadn’t ruled out future work, and so it proved. Retaining the slicker sonic approach from Cruelty Without Beauty, Happiness is often nostalgic and reflective, such as the whither-the-future sentiments of “Happy Happy Happy” or the sax-tinged ballad “Light Sleepers.” Almond’s in fine voice as ever and Ball’s work still has that primal crunch as needed.