By LoffMusic
There are incredible stories in music, but few as fascinating as the one Squeeze have decided to reveal half a century later. Before releasing their eighties anthems, before becoming one of the pillars of British pop, before even being old enough to enter pubs… Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook had already written a full-length album. A concept album full of youthful ambition, creative chutzpah and dreams to be released.
That album was never recorded.
Until now.
“Trixies”, the rock opera they composed in 1974 when they were practically teenagers, will finally be released on March 6, 2026.
And to whet your appetite, Squeeze presents a glorious preview of less than three minutes: “Trixies Part One”, a return to the fictional nightclub where this whole story was born.
A rock opera hidden for five decades
The story begins in 1974.
Difford was 19 years old. Tilbrook, barely 16.
They composed an entire album together: a collection of songs set in a club called “Trixies”, with characters, crime, noir humor and a narrative worthy of Damon Runyon.
But there was a problem:
were too young to record it.
With no resources, no experience and not yet knowing how to turn those ideas into professional arrangements, the songs were archived.
Literally: on tape for 50 years.
Meanwhile, Squeeze forged his legend:
- “Up The Junction”
- “Tempted”
- “Cool For Cats”
- “Another Nail In My Heart”
- “Labelled With Love”
Awards such as the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution (2008), recognition as Icons by Mojo, world tours and more than 600 concerts since their reunion in 2007.
Even so, the original album was still there.
Waiting.
Until they found it.
And they recorded it.
A trip to 74 with the experience of 2026
Now, with the backing of five decades of experience, virtuosity, craft and a sharp band, Squeeze has finally been able to give shape to that adolescent project.
The album has been produced by Owen Biddle (The Roots, Al Green, John Legend), who brings a modern but respectful reading towards the original essence.
The tracklist is a collector’s gem:
crime (“The Place We Call Mars”, “Don’t Go Out In The Dark”), seduction (“Why Don’t You”), evocative acoustics (“You Get The Feeling”) and narrative pieces that expand the nightclub universe.
Tilbrook admits that revisiting the tapes brought tears to his eyes:
“Partly because the songs are great, but also because I know I still have a lot of listening and writing to do.”
Difford concurs:
“It’s amazing to discover that, being so young, we could write things like this. It fills me with joy.”
“Trixies Part One” is a preview that smells like a lost classic.
The first single is a short but intense trip to the heart of the club “Trixies”:
catchy beat, colorful characters and that exquisite balance between humor, drama and melody that has always defined Squeeze.
Less than three minutes long, “Trixies Part One” works as an introduction, prologue and promise:
is the gateway to a rock opera that was dormant for half a century and now arrives as a musical event.
A historic launch to celebrate 50 years of Squeeze
The album will be available in multiple formats – black vinyl, pink and red clear vinyl, standard CD and deluxe edition – in a nod to the band’s fan collecting.
In December 2025, Squeeze will tour alongside Madness, a perfect appetizer for what’s to come in 2026.
And what lies ahead is important:
the culmination of a historical circle, the rescue of an album that was born too soon… and that shines today more than ever.
It took them 50 years to record it.
We only had to wait a few minutes to fall in love with it.
