Saint Etienne Work With Orbital's Paul Hartnoll On New Track Take Me To The Pilot
Tuesday, 05 August 2025
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Rob Baker Ashton
Saint Etienne have shared another single from their upcoming final album.
Take Me To The Pilot serves up a blend of dark synth-pop and dance, and leans into propulsive electronic influences brought to the track by Orbital's Paul Hartnoll, who co-wrote and produced it. Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley said:
"Take Me To The Pilot is a dark mystery, a flight to somewhere new, somewhere to make your heart beat faster. It’s about escape, disappearance, reinvention. Who’s the pilot? You don’t get to find out - that’s the mystery, and the fun. Paul Hartnoll from Orbital and Tim Powell from Xenomania worked on it with us, and it might just have the best bassline we’ve ever released."
Pete Wiggs added: "Back in 1990, after Bob had written a piece on Orbital, the Hartnoll brothers kindly let us see their stage setup, we hadn’t done anything live yet and were slightly mystified. I think we remained so. Years later, now much wiser, I was reintroduced to Paul at a party in Hove, where I now live. We kept bumping into each other on the seafront, got chatting, and although I wasn’t sure he’d say yes, I asked if he’d be up for writing a song with us. He did - and we love it!"
Head below to view the track's accompanying video, directed by long-time collaborator and renowned fashion photographer Alasdair McLellan. It was filmed in Doncaster and on the streets of Rome, and stars dancer Jet.
"We were shooting this lad called Jet, a breakdancer, for Arena Homme+ when Bob got in touch about a video for Saint Etienne," McLellan explained. "I filmed Jet breakin’ outside a bungalow in Tickhill, the village near Doncaster where I grew up.
"When Bob mentioned the album was called 'International', I decided to expand the idea and shoot a second part in Rome. It happened to coincide with the Vatican choosing the next Pope, so I thought why not have Jet dancing through the streets, with piazzas and Ponte Sant’Angelo’s angel sculptures in the background? As we moved through the city, the video unfolded into a kind of breakin’ pilgrimage to St Peter’s in the Vatican."
Saint Etienne first introduced 'International' in May with its opening track, Glad, co-written and produced with Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, and featuring Jez Williams of Doves on guitar. Additional guest contributions to the record come from Confidence Man, Erol Alkan, Vince Clarke, and Nick Heyward.
The follow-up to 2024's 'The Night' will arrive on September 5. The group are planning to schedule live dates for 2026. Stay tuned for details.
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