Echo & The Bunnymen new Album ‘Apples For Isaac’ and new single ‘Brussels Is Haunted’

Their first new album in 12 years

Story by Ben Avery

23/07/2026

Echo & The Bunnymen return after twelve years with a soaring new single that proves time has done little to diminish their mystique.

There are few bands whose absence creates quite the same anticipation as Echo & The Bunnymen. Twelve years have passed since Meteorites, yet rather than sounding like veterans attempting to reclaim former glories, the Liverpool icons return with the confidence of a band who never doubted they had more to say. If Brussels Is Haunted is any indication, Apples For Isaac promises not just a welcome comeback, but a compelling new chapter. Lead single Brussels Is Haunted feels unmistakably Bunnymen from its opening moments. Atmospheric yet immediate, it drifts through memory and melancholy with the effortless elegance that has always defined the band's finest work. Drawing inspiration from the people, friendships and ghosts that linger around Belgium's capital, Ian McCulloch transforms personal recollections into something far more universal, weaving together nostalgia, beauty and quiet foreboding without ever becoming sentimental. That balance between grandeur and intimacy has long been the band's hallmark, and it remains firmly intact here. McCulloch's unmistakable voice still carries an almost poetic weight, while Will Sergeant's shimmering, unmistakably lyrical guitar work provides the perfect counterpoint. Together, they create a sound that's steeped in the band's rich history without ever feeling trapped by it. Rather than chasing contemporary trends, Echo & The Bunnymen simply remind listeners why so many artists continue to draw inspiration from them decades later. Apples For Isaac also carries added emotional significance through the presence of late drummer Clem Burke, whose performances feature across ten of the album's eleven tracks. Best known for his legendary work with Blondie, Burke's contribution lends the record an additional sense of poignancy, making the album not only a long-awaited return but also a fitting celebration of a remarkable musician whose energy helped shape its final form. Behind the scenes, McCulloch has taken an unusually hands-on role, producing the album himself before sharing mixing duties with Alan Moulder and Andrea Wright. The result appears to capture exactly what the frontman envisioned: a collection that embraces the band's cinematic scale while retaining the intimacy and emotional nuance that have always elevated their songwriting above straightforward post-punk revivalism. After years spent revisiting an extraordinary catalogue on stage, many legacy acts struggle to justify the return to new material. Echo & The Bunnymen, however, sound entirely reinvigorated. Brussels Is Haunted isn't driven by nostalgia—it uses memory as fuel for something fresh, reflective and quietly exhilarating. If Apples For Isaac fulfils the promise of its first single, this won't simply be a worthy comeback. It could stand proudly alongside the finest latter-day releases from one of Britain's most enduring and influential bands.