Sugababes to release a 20th anniversary edition of their debut album One Touch

All has been quiet on the Sugababes since their live performances of the UK garage classic "Flower" on The Graham Norton show back in 2020, but now fans have something to look forward to. No. It's not a new album, but something very special which could lead to one.

The Sugababes will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album One Touch with a re-release, which features re-mastered versions of every song, as well as B-sides, demo versions of songs which never made the cut and remixes from the likes of MNEK, Metronomy and Dev Hynes. I really hope these names are also who the Sugababes will be heading into the studio with to work on material for this new album that will probably never see the light of day. MNEK produced the fan favourite "Boys" from the now shelved MKS album, whilst Dev Hynes produced the critically acclaimed but commercial flop "Flatline", AND the Sugababes performed Metronomy's "Love Letter" live with the band back in 2014 when they were desperately trying to make MKS happen. So it's cool to see they've kept some form of relationship with each of them. MNEK, Dev Hynes and Joseph Mount of Metronomy are all amazing songwriters and producers, so I'm in full support of them hitting the studio with the Sugababes.

Disc 1

1. Overload
2. One Foot In
3. Same Old Story
4. Just Let It Go
5. Look at Me
6. Soul Sound
7. One Touch
8. Lush Life
9. Real Thing
10. New Year
11. Promises
12. Run for Cover
13. Don't Wanna Wait
14. Sugababes on the Run
15. Forever
16. Little Lady Love
17. Sometimes This Is What You Need (Demo)
18. Girls' Nite Out (Demo)
19. Always Be the One (Demo)

Disc 2

1. Run for Cover (MNEK Remix)
2. Overload (Majestic Remix)
3. Same Old Story (Blood Orange Remix)
4. Overload (Metronomy vs Tatyana Remix)
5. Just Let It Go (2001 Version)
6. Look at Me (Alternative Mix)
7. Real Thing (Alternative Version)
8. Soul Sound (Alternative Version)
9. One Touch (C.R.E.A.M. Remix)
10. New Year (Non Christmas Version)
11. Promises (Acoustic Mix)
12. Little Lady Love (About 2 Remix)
13. Overload (Ed Case Remix)
14. Run for Cover (G4orce All Things Nice Dub)
15. Real Thing (2-Step Radio Mix)

When the Sugababes appeared on The Graham Norton Show to perform "Flowers" they did mention that they'd be doing something to celebrate the anniversary of One Touch, and they mentioned it again on a podcast - but then there was nothing, which I'll assume was because of the pandemic. But now it's finally coming. The release is still some way off though, and won't be available until October / November. But fans can pre-order it now.

It will be interesting to see how well this does. Hopefully nearer the release of the album, the Sugababes will promote it and give us some live performances of their older classics, and maybe something new.

Whilst the Sugababes and One Touch need no real reason to be celebrated (they are just great and this album is just effortlessly cool) this re-release is a two-fold thing. First off, it's a re-introduction to who the Sugababes were and still are to this day after 3 line-up changes, and finally being able to reclaim their group name back after having to come back as MKS, although everybody still called them the Sugababes. Second of all, this re-release is also a way for the ladies and the label (if they're even signed to one) to get a gauge on whether there is still an appetite for music from the Sugababes at all. Especially after all of the false starts we'd gotten back in 2013, and the unfortunate underperformance of their big comeback single "Flatline". I really hope the Sugababes are able to put a new album out, next year. I fear if they leave it too much longer, then they'll have missed their window. With Girls Aloud done and Little Mix undoubtedly due to go on some form of hiatus after their tour, there is a gap in the UK market for a girl group, and who better to fill it than one of the OG girl groups of the early 2000s.

It was a complete and utter shame that they never got to release their MKS record, because it was everything I wanted from a Sugababes album after their (san Siobhan) fourth studio album Taller in More Ways. I'm glad it leaked so fans at least got to hear it, but it's real sad that they never saw the official light of day and that they can't use any of those songs now. Although I hope they do still use a couple of the them, specifically "Today" and "Summer of '99", because they are THAT good.

The 20th anniversary edition of One Touch releases will be available from October. One Touch will also be available on vinyl, but only the original One Touch tracklisting will be pressed to vinyl, with all of the additional material available as downloads.

💻 Keep up to date: Sugababes official website

🔙 Flashback Friday: Overload: Train comes to take my wig to its destination

🎧 Playlist: This is Sugababes
💿 Album reviews: Sugababes 3.0: Change | Catfights & Spotlights | Not the Sugababes: Sweet 7