Archive’s Dave Pen on 'Glass Minds' and 30 Years of Evolution (#272)
Release Date: 02/23/2026
Broken Social Scene on "Remember The Humans," grief and why music still saves people (#284)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar is joined by Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin of Broken Social Scene to discuss the band’s new album, Remember The Humans. Kevin and Charles talk about where the title came from, how a joke about AI ended up capturing the emotional centre of the record, and why Broken Social Scene returned now with their first new studio album in nearly a decade. They also discuss reuniting with producer David Newfeld, the shared grief that shaped the album, the “enjoyable PTSD” of getting the band back together, and the beauty and difficulty of...
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Deb Googe & Cara Tivey on da Googie, The Golden Thread & My Bloody Valentine (#283)
The XS Noize Podcast
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey join Mark Millar on the XS Noize Podcast to discuss The Golden Thread — their debut full-length album together as da Googie + Cara Tivey. da Googie is the solo project of Deb Googe, best known as the bass player in My Bloody Valentine and Thurston Moore Group. Cara Tivey is a pianist and composer whose career includes work with Billy Bragg, Everything But The Girl, Blur, Au Pairs and The Lilac Time. In this episode, Deb and Cara talk about bringing The Golden Thread to Belfast as part of the Oh Yeah Presents immersive series, where the music becomes visual as well as...
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Glen Hansard on Don+t Settle - (Vol 1 Transmissions East), Bob Dylan, Busking and Capturing Songs in the Moment (#282)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar is joined by Glen Hansard for a warm, honest and deeply reflective conversation about his new live album, Don+t Settle - (Vol 1 Transmissions East). Recorded at Berlin’s historic Funkhaus with his road-hardened live band, the album brings together songs from Glen’s solo career, The Frames and The Swell Season, captured with almost no fixes. Rather than a standard live album or greatest-hits collection, Don+t Settle - (Vol 1 Transmissions East) feels like an artist taking stock in the present — revisiting songs from different stages of...
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Miles Hunt on 40 Years of The Wonder Stuff, Burnout, Vent 414 and Starting Over (#281)
The XS Noize Podcast
Miles Hunt joins Mark Millar on the XS Noize Podcast to reflect on 40 years of The Wonder Stuff — from the band’s rise through the late ’80s and early ’90s to what it means to still be carrying it forward today. With The Wonder Stuff set for a major 40th anniversary UK tour in October 2026, Miles looks back on audience loyalty, writing the early records, the impact of albums including HUP, Never Loved Elvis and Construction for the Modern Idiot, and why the band still feels like a real band rather than a nostalgia act. He also talks about burnout, the point where life in the band...
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Carol Decker on success, heartbreak, and finding her way back with T’Pau (#280)
The XS Noize Podcast
Carol Decker joins Mark Millar on the XS Noize Podcast to talk about T’Pau’s return with Be Wonderful — the band’s first album of original material since Pleasure and Pain in 2015. In this candid conversation, Carol reflects on the long gap between records, reconnecting creatively with Ronnie Rogers, and what finally brought her back into the right headspace to make new music again. She also looks back on the rise of T’Pau, the success of Bridge of Spies, the story behind “China In Your Hand”, and the difficult years when everything changed. A warm, honest conversation about...
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The Boxer Rebellion on 'The Second I’m Asleep' and 25 years together (#279)
The XS Noize Podcast
The Boxer Rebellion join Mark Millar on the XS Noize Podcast to talk about The Second I’m Asleep, their first full-length studio album since 2018. In this episode, Nathan Nicholson and Piers Hewitt discuss the six-year gap between records, the reset the band needed, and how the new album came together through a more instinctive, less overthought creative process. They talk about writing quickly, trusting the songs sooner, and why The Second I’m Asleep feels more immediate, spacious and human. The conversation also explores lyrical themes on tracks like “Flowers in the Water” and...
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The Dandy Warhols: Courtney Taylor-Taylor on Dig!, Pin Ups & the “Assassination Piece” (#278)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Courtney Taylor-Taylor — frontman of The Dandy Warhols — to talk about Pin Ups and the real story behind the Dig! documentary. Pin Ups brings together a collection of covers spanning the band’s journey — but as Courtney explains, it feels less like a traditional covers album and more like a “3D map of the band’s DNA,” shaped by instinct, influence, and reinterpretation. But this conversation goes much further. Courtney opens up about the Dig! era — and why he describes the film as an “assassination...
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Scouting For Girls’ Roy Stride on ‘These Are The Good Days’, wildfires and perspective (#277)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Roy Stride — frontman, songwriter and driving force behind Scouting For Girls — to talk about the band’s uplifting new album These Are The Good Days. The album follows 2023’s The Place We Used To Meet, which became the band’s highest-charting record in eight years. This time, the focus is on perspective — and finding joy in the present moment. Much of the album was shaped by Roy’s move to Los Angeles to focus on songwriting — a long-held ambition that took a dramatic turn when he and his family were caught in...
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The Twilight Sad: James Graham & Andy MacFarlane on ‘It’s The Long Goodbye’ (#276)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with James Graham and Andy MacFarlane — the creative core of Scottish band The Twilight Sad — to talk about their powerful sixth album It’s The Long Goodbye. Written across a seven-year period, the album became the band’s most personal and emotionally direct record to date. Much of it was shaped during a difficult chapter in James Graham’s life as he navigated his mother’s illness, his own struggles with mental health, and the weight of grief and loss. During the conversation, James and Andy reflect on the long journey...
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Damon Minchella on Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller & ‘You’d Look Good on a Donkey’
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Damon Minchella — founder of Ocean Colour Scene, longtime bass player for Paul Weller, and collaborator with Richard Ashcroft — to talk about his candid and often hilarious memoir You’d Look Good on a Donkey. Across a musical life that has ricocheted between some of the biggest names in music — from Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page to Diana Ross, Dr. John and The Who — Minchella has built a career full of extraordinary stories, unlikely encounters, and a deep love of music that runs through everything he does. During...
info_outlineIn this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Dave Pen of Archive to talk about Glass Minds — the band’s 13th studio album and a bold new chapter in a 30-year journey defined by reinvention, collaboration and creative risk.
Formed in Croydon, South London in 1994, Archive have evolved from trip-hop pioneers into one of Europe’s most respected alternative collectives. Glass Minds, released Friday 27th February 2026 via Dangervisit through [PIAS], follows the ambitious 2022 triple-album Call to Arms & Angels, which charted Top 10 across Europe and culminated in their biggest headline show to date at Paris’ Accor Arena.
Produced by Archive alongside long-time collaborator Jerome Devoise, and recorded in Brighton, London and Paris, Glass Minds marks a shift toward a more minimal, down-tempo sound — built on space and emotional weight. New textures emerge through Essex rapper Jimmy Collins on “Heads Are Gonna Roll,” while Lisa Mottram shines on the title track and “The Love The Light.” At its core is the eight-minute “So Far From Losing You,” one of the band’s most personal and expansive pieces to date.
In this conversation, Dave Pen reflects on joining Archive and becoming part of a true creative collective. He discusses the trust and experimentation that shape the band’s process, the evolution of their sound over three decades, embracing AI in the album’s visual identity, and why live performance remains the ultimate space where Archive’s songs continue to grow and transform.
About The XS Noize Podcast
With over 250 episodes, the XS Noize Podcast has become a trusted home for music’s legends, innovators, and trailblazers — a place where real conversations meet real stories.
Hosted by Mark Millar, the show has featured an extraordinary lineup including Paul Draper, Sleaford Mods, The Charlatans, Gary “Mani” Mounfield, Glen Matlock, Miles Kane, Matt Berninger, Saint Etienne, D:Ream, Gavin Rossdale, The Farm, Snow Patrol, John Lydon, Will Sergeant, Ocean Colour Scene, Gary Kemp, Doves, Gavin Friday, David Gray, Anton Newcombe, Peter Hook, Razorlight, Sananda Maitreya, James, Crowded House, Elbow, Cast, Kula Shaker, Shed Seven, Future Islands, Peter Frampton, Bernard Butler, Steven Wilson, Travis, New Order, The Killers, Tito Jackson, Simple Minds, The Divine Comedy, Shaun Ryder, Gary Numan, and Michael Head — among many more.
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