The New Kids on the Block are releasing a new album more than a decade after their last release, with a video for the first single debuting on Tuesday.
The 1980s boy band’s upcoming “Still Kids,” due out on May 17, will be their eighth studio album, nearly 40 years after Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood first formed NKOTB.
According to a press release, “Still Kids” features “pop anthems, dance tracks, love songs and grooves.” The first single, “Kids,” is an upbeat pop track produced by David Stewart and Luke Batt.
“Jump in the drop-top cause we’re taking it up / Got time on lock and it’s all that we got / We’re free, and we got nowhere to be / And we’re still just kids from a nobody town / Still just kids that are messing around / Making the most of the things that we found whoa,” the group sings.
“It’s the most mature album we’ve ever made,” said Donnie Wahlberg, 54, who co-wrote seven of the tracks. “Yet it’s the most fun and most comfortable album we’ve ever made.”
“This album, more than any other, is bringing the New Kids and the fans full circle,” he said. “It’s about hope and possibilities and being ourselves.”
The album also features collaborations with fellow ’80s stars DJ Jazzy Jeff and Taylor Dayne.
“It says a lot about any band to make a record that has energy and passion and lightness and fun and depth — after almost 40 years together? It’s crazy,” said McIntyre, 51, who co-wrote six of the tracks.
NKOTB released their self-titled debut album in 1986, but didn’t see major success until their second album, “Hangin’ Tough,” released two years later.
The band previously announced their upcoming Magic Summer 2024 tour, recalling their 1990 tour of the same name. They will be performing new material from “Still Kids” along with nostalgic classics from the ’80s and ’90s. They will be joined on tour by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Paula Abdul.
“Feeling all the nostalgic feels of the original Magic Summer, with the bond that we’ve shared throughout the years, will make for a most magical time indeed,” Wahlberg said in a statement.
The 47-date North American tour will kick off on June 14 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and will wrap Aug. 25 in Noblesville, Ind.