18 November 2025
Newsdesk
Following the monumental chart success of their album Rainy Sunday Afternoon, The Divine Comedy is rounding off a fantastic year with a festive offering, "All the Pretty Lights," released as the latest single from the UK Top 5 record.
The track is a tribute to the wonder and excitement of a childhood Christmas, steeped in nostalgia. Neil Hannon, who wrote, produced, and arranged the song, explained its origins: "It began with the title... That title brought to mind my family's visit to London in the late '70s. To be a 7 year old in London at Christmas was like being in Mary Poppins. Utterly magical!" He noted that the song explores not just Christmas past, but also the "fallibility of memory." The track was recorded at Abbey Road last autumn.
Rainy Sunday Afternoon charted at an impressive Number 4 on the UK Album Chart, marking The Divine Comedy's highest charting studio album to date. Critics hailed the album, with Clash calling it "One of The Divine Comedy's finest records" and Mojo describing it as "Profound, substantive, built to last."
The festive single is accompanied by a charming animated video, created by long-term collaborator Mathieu Persan and animated by Maéva Pensivy. Persan drew inspiration from the mid-century aesthetic of illustrator Miroslav Šašek and the style of Hanna-Barbera productions to create a "colourful and cheerful little film that looks as though it came straight out of the 1950s." Hannon praised the video as a "thing of beauty and wonder."
Looking ahead, The Divine Comedy will be touring Europe and Ireland in the spring, with further UK and Irish dates confirmed for the summer. Due to high demand, the band has announced an additional London date at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, July 12, 2026. Tickets for the new show go on sale Friday, November 21st.
