Clem Burke's last recordings | Blondie's High Noon

Blondie have a new album on the way. Their first in nearly a decade, in fact.

But for drummers, High Noon is something more than a comeback. It’s the last record Clem Burke ever made.

Burke co-founded the band, drove it from the CBGB days to the top of the charts, and died of cancer in April 2025. So what does his final album sound like, and what should we listen for? Let’s find out.

What has been announced?

Blondie announced High Noon on 15 October, with a release date of 26 February 2027 on BMG. It’s the band’s 12th studio album and their first since Pollinator in 2017.

There are 13 tracks. The opener and lead single, “Spectral Eyes”, is out now. Johnny Marr wrote it and plays guitar on it, and Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols shows up too. Matlock also wrote another track, “Sleepwalking”.

The guest list doesn’t stop there. Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius feature, along with Zach Condon of Beirut.

Debbie Harry calls it “classic Blondie”, a mix of all the band’s influences and eras. Big claim. Then again, Blondie never stuck to one style.

Is Clem Burke on the whole album?

Yes, and this is the bit that matters most to us.

Back in July 2025, a fan asked Chris Stein whether Burke would be on the new record. As Stereogum reported, Stein’s answer was short: “Clem played the whole thing.”

So this isn’t a few leftover drum tracks padded out by a session player. Burke is on the record from start to finish.

How was it recorded?

Sessions began in New York in 2022, with Harry, Stein and Burke working alongside producer John Congleton. Congleton also produced Pollinator, so the team already knew each other well.

According to NME, much of the work was finished before Burke’s death. That’s a relief. These are his parts, played his way, rather than something reconstructed after the fact.

There is one sad twist in the tracklist. Track seven is called “Little Metal Drummer”. It’s a reworked version of a song from former keyboardist Jimmy Destri’s solo album, Heart on a Wall. It wasn’t written about Burke. But it’s hard not to hear it as a nod to him now.

Who was Clem Burke?

If you only know Blondie from the radio, you might not realise how much of that sound came from the drum stool.

Burke was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, in 1954, and joined Blondie in 1975. He then played on every album they made, from the 1976 debut through Parallel Lines, Eat to the Beat and Autoamerican, and on to the comeback records No Exit and Pollinator.

His playing had a punk drive but a pop sense of song. Listen to “Dreaming”. The drums barely stop moving, with fills crashing in all over the verses, and yet the song never loses its shape. Few drummers can get away with that. Burke made it sound easy.

Then there’s “Heart of Glass”. He locked his live kit to a drum machine and still made the groove feel human, years before most rock drummers had to think about that.

Away from Blondie he kept very busy. He spent years with the Romantics, and drummed for Bob Dylan, Eurythmics, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett and Pete Townshend. In 1987 he even joined the Ramones for two shows as “Elvis Ramone”. Blondie entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

He also cared about drumming beyond the stage. In 2008 he co-founded the Clem Burke Drumming Project with sports scientists, studying the physical demands of rock drumming and how playing benefits our health and brains. In 2011 the University of Gloucestershire gave him an honorary doctorate for it. Dr Clem Burke. Nice.

What should drummers listen for?

We haven’t heard the whole album yet, so we won’t pretend to review it. But here’s what we’ll be listening for when it lands:

• The energy. Burke was in his late sixties when these sessions began. Does the drive of “Dreaming” still come through? “Spectral Eyes” is the first test.
• The feel. Congleton’s productions tend to sound live and raw. That should suit a drummer who always sounded best when the band played together in a room.

Final thoughts

Most drummers don’t get a send-off like this. Burke gets a full album, recorded with the band he helped build, with his playing on every track.

The only downside is the wait until February. Until then, put “Spectral Eyes” on, then go back to Parallel Lines and listen to what a great rock drummer sounds like.

For more legends who kept playing late into their careers, read about Chris Slade’s retirement, or browse our drummer features.

What’s your favourite Clem Burke drum part? Let us know in the comments.