Champion Sound (Faithless album)
| Champion Sound | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 September 2025 | |||
| Length | 75:46 | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Faithless chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Champion Sound | ||||
| ||||
Champion Sound is the eighth studio album by dance music act Faithless. It was released on 5 September 2025, and is their first studio album since 2020's All Blessed, as well as their first album following the death of former frontman Maxi Jazz. The album peaked at number 8 on the Scottish album charts, 30 on the German official album charts and 15 in the UK.[1]
Background
Former lead singer Maxi Jazz died in December 2022.[2] In April 2024, Faithless stated, "Maxi died just over a year ago and obviously we miss him every day. Thank you for all your kind words of support over this last year. It has really, really meant a lot. In the meantime, we never stopped (couldn't stop, never wanted to stop!) making music. Even during Maxi's long illness we recorded and released 'All Blessed', and now finally, eight years after our last live performance, we are returning to festival stages [...] we are, in fact, in the studio as we write this."[3] Faithless announced the title of the album on the same day that lead single, "Find a Way", was released.[4]
Singles
The album's lead single, "Find a Way", was released on 12 July 2024, and features vocals by Suli Breaks. An official music video, directed by Benn Veasey, was released on 18 July 2024.[5]
"I'm Not Alone (Rest Well Maxwell)" was released as the second single on 30 August 2024.[6][7] Collaborator Amelia Fox and LSK feature. The song mentions a number of deceased music artists including: Amy Winehouse, Tupac Shakur, Craig Mack, Kurt Cobain, Avicii and Left Eye.[8]
On 25 April 2025, Faithless released the single "Dollars and Dimes", featuring Bebe Rexha.[9][10]
On 4 September 2025, Faithless released a new, promotional single-version of "Find a Way", featuring Suli Breaks and previous collaborator Dido; Dido sings a new verse and chorus on the updated track.[11]
Critical reception
Robin Murray, reviewing for Clash gave the album an 8/10 score, opining, "The beauty of this album lies in its versatility – each part has its own identity, yet the whole can be experienced as a unified journey or enjoyed in isolation. It’s a sonic experience that defies convention, Faithless have crafted an album that not only honours their legacy but also pushes their sound into bold new territory, making ‘Champion Sound’ a bold, boundary-pushing leap that reaffirms their place at the forefront of dance music".[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forever Free" | 1:35 | |
| 2. | "In Your Own Groove" (featuring LSK) |
| 4:53 |
| 3. | "Fugitive" |
| 7:24 |
| 4. | "Peace and Noise" (featuring Suli Breaks) |
| 3:01 |
| 5. | "Meeting" (featuring Nathan Ball and Amelia Fox) | Armstrong | 5:30 |
| 6. | "Driving" (featuring Nathan Ball, Amelia Fox, Suli Breaks, and Max Rad) |
| 3:51 |
| 7. | "Thinking" (featuring Nathan Ball and Amelia Fox) | Armstrong | 8:18 |
| 8. | "Book of Hours" |
| 24:06 |
| 9. | "Find a Way" (featuring Suli Breaks) |
| 3:02 |
| 10. | "Dollars and Dimes" (featuring Bebe Rexha) |
| 2:49 |
| 11. | "Champion Sound" (featuring LSK) | Armstrong | 2:31 |
| 12. | "Emmanuel" (featuring Emmanuel Jal) |
| 4:28 |
| 13. | "Yes I Want It Too" (featuring Antony Szmierek) |
| 4:18 |
| Total length: | 75:46 | ||
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]
Faithless
- Rollo – production (all tracks); programming, drum programming, mixing (tracks 1–5, 7–13)
- Sister Bliss – keyboards, piano, bass, strings, production (all tracks); programming, drum programming (1–5, 7–13)
Additional contributors
- Maxi Jazz – vocals (1)
- Max Rad – guitar (2, 3, 12); keyboards, bass, drums, production, mixing (6)
- Lily Gonzalez – backing vocals (2, 3), percussion (12)
- LSK – vocals (2, 11)
- Suli Breaks – vocals (4, 9), vocal sample (6)
- Amelia Fox – vocals (5–7), backing vocals (13)
- Nathan Ball – vocals (5–7)
- Ed Raison – guitar (7)
- Bebe Rexha – vocals (10), backing vocals (11)
- Emmanuel Jal – vocals (12)
- Nyaneng – backing vocals (12)
- Jem Hayes – additional mixing (12)
- Antony Szmierek – vocals (13)
- Mike Lythgoe – design
- Ollie Trenchard – photography
Charts
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 191 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] | 122 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 15 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[18] | 1 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[19] | 5 |
References
- ^ Venzin, Megan (4 September 2025). "Faithless - Champion Sound - Gone but not forgotten". DJ Mag. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ Lee, Dulcie (24 December 2022). "Faithless lead singer Maxi Jazz dies aged 65". BBC News. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Duran, Anagricel (12 July 2024). "Faithless announce eighth album Champion Sound with funky new single 'Find a Way'". NME. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ LeJarde, Arielle Lana (12 July 2024). "Faithless announce new album, Champion Sound, share 'Find a Way' featuring Suli Breaks: Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Faithless - Find A Way (Official Video)". 18 July 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Shears, Mena (30 August 2024). "Faithless Offer Emotional Tribute to Maxi Jazz in New Single, 'I'm Not Alone (Rest Well Maxwell)'". MixMag. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Bhanawat, Akshay (30 August 2024). "Faithless Unveil New Single 'I'm Not Alone (Rest well Maxwell)'". The Music Essentials. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Faithless - I'm Not Alone (Rest Well Maxwell)". 30 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Bebe Rexha and Faithless team up on unlikely collab, Dollars and Dimes". Music News. 25 April 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ "Bebe Rexha releases new song "Dollars and Dimes" with British band Faithless this Friday, her first for 2025". Telegrafi. 25 April 2025. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ "Sister Bliss on the new version of Find a Way with Dido". Instagram. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ Murray, Robin (4 September 2025). "Faithless - Champion Sound". Clash. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ Champion Sound (Media notes). Faithless. Faithless. 5 September 2025.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Ultratop.be – Faithless – Champion Sound" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Faithless – Champion Sound" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2025.