Although best-known as figurehead of indie-pop ensemble The Magnetic Fields, the ever-lugubrious Stephin Merritt gets around.

Selected endeavours include: the playful The 6th project, where Merritt writes songs for other musicians to perform in his honour; “goth-bubblegum” outfit The Gothic Archies; and short-lived project The Three Terrors, a collaboration with L.D. Beghtol and Dudley Klute based around themed live performances.

Of particular note is his work with Future Bible Heroes, responsible for 1997’s Memories Of Love and 2002”s Eternal Youth. Merritt’s role is limited to songwriting and musical direction, with instrumentalist Christopher Ewan and vocalist Claudia Gonson on performance duty. Musically, the project sees Merritt et al dabble in electro and melodramatic pop, with Merritt’s penchant for wisecracks and riddles on full display (indeed, Memories Of Love‘s lyric sheet featured as a selection of word puzzles to be deciphered by the listener).

As Exclaim report, Merritt will reactivate Future Bible Heroes after an 11 year hiatus on new LP Partygoing. The 13-track album promises a “signature Future Bible Heroes mix of dancefloor-filling club anthems and super-sad ballads.” Lead single ‘Living, Loving, Partygoing’ is available to stream below.

As it happens, Merge are also prepping a 4xCD collection of the entire Future Bible Heroes back catalogue. The compilation will feature all three of the band’s studio albums, plus a supplementary CD of EP tracks and comparative rarities. Somewhat unadventurously, the collection is titled Memories of Love, Eternal Youth and Partygoing . 

Both Partygoing and Memories of Love, Eternal Youth and Partygoing will arrive on June 4. The tracklisting for both releases is below.

Tracklisting:
Partygoing:
1. A Drink Is Just the Thing
2. Sadder than the Moon
3. Let’s Go to Sleep (And Never Come Back)
4. Satan, Your Way Is a Hard One
5. A New Kind of Town
6. All I Care About Is You
7. Living, Loving, Partygoing
8. Keep Your Children in a Coma
9. How Very Strange
10. Love Is a Luxury I Can No Longer Afford
11. Digging My Own Grave
12. Drink Nothing But Champagne
13. When Evening Falls on Tinseltown

Memories of Love:
1. Lonely Days
2. She-Devils of the Deep
3. Hopeless
4. Death Opened a Boutique
5. You Pretend to Be the Moon
6. Blond Adonis
7. But You’re So Beautiful
8. A You You Never Knew
9. Real Summer
10. Memories of Love
11. You Steal the Scene

Eternal Youth:
1. Losing Your Affection
2. The Slow Fade
3. Doris Daytheearthstoodstill
4. A Thousand Lovers in a Day
5. Bathysphere
6. I’m a Vampire
7. From Some Dying Sta
8. Viennese Lift
9. Smash the Beauty Machine
10. The Control Room
11. Find an Open Window
12. Kiss Me Only with Your Eyes
13. Jakarta
14. No River
15. Cartoon
16. The World Is a Disco Ball

The EPs:
1. O! What a Dream It Was
2. Hopeless (Stephin vocal)
3. Love Is Blue
4. How to Get Laid in Japanese
5. I’m Lonely (And I Love It)
6. My Blue Hawaii
7. Cafe Hong Kong
8. Good Thing I Don’t Have Any Feelings
9. Don’t You Want Me?
10. The DJ from Outer Space
11. The Lonely Robot
12. Mr. Punch
13. Hopeless (remix)
14. Berlin on $10 a Day