Truthfully, it’s been many moons since we had this difficult of a time keeping a secret, but today we’re cleared to let the ol’ cat fantastic out of the bag: the rumors are true. TTNG is back, baby.
Whispers had been quietly swirling over the past year, but with the internet being what it is, we weren’t sure what to believe. After all, it’s been a solid ten years since we were blessed with new TTNG, and a lot can happen in a decade. Seriously, think about everything that’s happened since Disappointment Island… actually, don’t. Not right now.
Thankfully, it seems the best or most optimistic of those rumors were true – not only are we getting new music, but we’re getting it from the beloved band’s most evolved form yet. Yes, indeed – Juggling Moves (Beginner) features both Henry Tremain and Stuart Smith, officially bridging the two eras of the band. To say we’re overjoyed would be an understatement. A single tear was shed, but it should have been more – we were just at work and didn’t want to freak everybody out.
First off, put this thing on immediately. It only takes a few seconds to become apparent that we’re hearing TTNG fire on all cylinders. Opening blaze “Goose Steppin’” shows that without a doubt the band’s musical backbone is as formidable as ever with nimble guitar, chunky bass, waterfall drums and soaring vocals, but the other two tracks could very well be showing us an ambitious yet grounded future.
Full disclosure, usually when we say something feels familiar and new at the same time, it means that we’ve kind of run out of things to say. But here, it’s an important note because our excitement is more than nostalgia. Even the most fervid fans will find themselves stunned by the manner in which TTNG have combined their past achievements with the thoughts and feelings of right here, right now, especially as this coalesced unit.
To say it’s good to have them back would be an understatement of all time, and we’d love to wax poetic about this, but ultimately we think it’s best to let TTNG do the talking – read every word below:
While Juggling Moves (Beginner) represents a significant return, the band are keen to frame it as something other than a traditional comeback.
TTNG have never pursued music as a full-time career. Rather than following the well-worn cycle of constant touring and album promotion, the band chose a different path; whether that be building careers, and raising families, or exploring other creative opportunities. The band has been able to coexist and fit around the realities of adult life.
“Success has always been something we’ve measured on our own terms,” says the band. “We’ve never chased the dream of being full-time musicians. We knew from very early on that the kind of music we wanted to make wasn’t going to make us millionaires. Instead, we’ve tried to build lives that can inspire the music, while also allowing us to keep making it.”
Written in sporadic weekends over the past two years and recorded in April of 2026, Juggling Moves (Beginner) finds TTNG sounding unmistakably like themselves. The intricate interplay, technical musicianship and stripped-back instrumentation that have defined the band’s catalogue remain intact, while the songs reflect the perspectives of a group now writing from a very different stage of life.
Musically, the release shares perhaps the closest kinship with 2011’s Adventure, Stamina & Anger, albeit viewed through the lens of fifteen additional years of life experience. Lyrically, two of the three songs wrestle with the increasing political polarisation of modern society. The songs examine the widening gulf between opposing viewpoints, the increase in Orwellian tropes in Western politics and the ways in which empathy, nuance and genuine listening have become casualties of contemporary discourse.
The band hope the songs serve as a reminder that meaningful change rarely comes through hostility alone.
“We often have far more in common than we realise. Conviction matters, but if we’re serious about changing minds then empathy has to be part of the conversation.”
The EP’s emotional centrepiece, “Adieu,” turns inward. Written by vocalist Stuart Smith, the song reflects on the hours leading up to his father’s death, exploring grief not as a singular event but as a sequence of moments that permanently alter how we understand ourselves and the people closest to us.
The release also marks the first time since 2011’s Adventure, Stamina & Anger that Smith has taken on a significant lead vocal role within the band. While Henry Tremain contributes backing vocals throughout the record, the band stress that future releases may continue to evolve vocally as the project develops.
Recorded at Brighton Electric in April 2026, the same studio where TTNG recorded their acclaimed sophomore album 13.0.0.0.0, the EP was recorded and mixed by Mark Roberts, whose previous work includes collaborations with Delta Sleep and two of Chris’ other musical projects; Pancho and As Living Arrows.
The title Juggling Moves (Beginner) is deliberately self-aware. Conceived as the first instalment of a trilogy, the band hope to return to the studio periodically to record future collections of three or four songs, with subsequent releases tentatively titled Intermediate and Advanced.
Once complete, the three releases will be combined into a full-length album, potentially receiving a physical release.
The release arrives alongside a small run of already sold-out live appearances, TTNG’s first shows in six years. However, the band are cautious about raising expectations.
With careers, families and growing commitments beyond music, extensive touring is unlikely in the immediate future. These summer performances may well be their last for some time. That said, the group remain open to hearing any offers, should the stars align allowing an opportunity to be realised.
Far from signalling closure, however, Juggling Moves (Beginner) is a continuation in a sustainable way of being a band. TTNG continue to write, continue to record and continue to discover what the band can look like when measured by their own expectations.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here as well. Don’t let the bastards get you down!)