Bronski Beat unveil 40th anniversary reissue of ‘Truthdare Doubledare’: Listen

Bronski Beat are getting a 40th anniversary reissue of ‘Truthdare Doubledare’, with the band’s second studio album returning across digital, CD, 3CD, LP and picture disc formats on July 3. London Records is handling the reissue and a new I. JORDAN rework of ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’ has dropped today as the lead release.

Now, the 40th anniversary reissue of ‘Truthdare Doubledare’ marks the album’s first ever reissue. London Records has also fully remastered the original record and unearthed previously unreleased studio sessions and live recordings to round out the expanded 3CD edition. Fans can already pre-order across all formats, including a limited purple LP and a picture disc LP.

First up in the campaign comes the I. JORDAN rework of ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’. Then the Doncaster-born, London-based DJ injects the original with euphoric synth lines, complex arpeggios and a driving vocal hook, building a version of the track that runs cleanly on a modern dancefloor without losing the source material’s roots.

Originally, Bronski Beat’s ‘Hit That Perfect Beat’ landed in 1985. The producers built the single for Chris Bernard’s British rom-com ‘Letter to Brezhnev’, and it reached number 3 on the UK chart, matching the success of ‘Smalltown Boy’. Eventually, the track became a Hi-NRG classic in UK clubs and across continental Europe.

Notably, the album emerged during a transitional period for Bronski Beat. After founding frontman Jimmy Somerville departed, Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek brought in friend John Jøn Foster as the new lead vocalist. The band’s writing for the album then moved fast: critics framed ‘Back On Me’ as a crossover between their first and second eras, while ‘Black Storm’ served as a clap-back at the rise of the political right under Thatcher.

Originally, ‘Truthdare Doubledare’ landed in April 1986 and reached the UK Top 20. The follow-up single ‘C’mon C’mon’ then also hit the UK Top 20, cementing the album’s commercial place at the time.

Fans can pre-order the 40th anniversary editions of Bronski Beat’s ‘Truthdare Doubledare’ now, ahead of the July 3 release.