Bugeye: Comfortably Numb
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Croydon queer electro-pop outfit Bugeye return with the new single, Comfortably Numb, and announce forthcoming second album The Shape of Things, due in May.
Bugeye follow last October’s This Ain’t A Love Song, which was a warning shot for narcissists, with Comfortably Numb and announce their second album, The Shape of Things which is to be released on 15th May 2026.
The band, whose debut album, Ready Steady Bang was included in Louder Than War Top 50 Albums of 2020, are a queer alternative rock band hailing from the concrete jungle of Croydon. Front woman and Bugeye’s chief songwriter, Angela Martin, formed the band in 2018 with school friend and bass player Paula Snow and began making music with dirty guitars, disco beats, sizzling synths and bass riffs that accelerate into the catchiest hooks. With a couple of line-up changes along the way the duo recently joined forces with drummer Suzy Gould and Lex Giggs to devise the next chapter of Bugeye which sees them prepared to hit the dancefloor once more.
The new single blends the brooding synth-pop pulse of Gary Numan and Depeche Mode with the darker art-pop textures of St. Vincent and the raw edge of Bones UK. Comfortably Numb is a dark, electronic rush of late-night euphoria and self-destruction. It’s driven by brooding 80s-inspired synths and pulsing club beats, the track captures the familiar promise to head home early and the inevitable spiral that follows when you get caught in the moment. What begins with alcohol-fuelled confidence and dancefloor highs slowly unravels into disorientation, anxiety and blackout confusion as the night turns cold and unforgiving. With dirty, distorted guitars cutting through shimmering synth textures and hook-laden vocals carrying a shadowed edge, Comfortably Numb balances huge, danceable moments with an undercurrent of menace—a soundtrack to getting lost in the night and not quite making it home.
“It’s that lie you tell yourself at the start of the night that you’ll just have one, that you’ll get the last train (like you promised), that you’re still in control,” explains Angela Martin, speaking about the track. “Then the music gets louder, the lights get softer, and you feel untouchable. It is about that tipping point. The euphoria of the dancefloor colliding with the panic that follows; dark, messy, can’t find your friends and the knowledge that you’ve fucked up again.”
Angela continues, “With ‘Comfortably Numb’ I really wanted to lean into that darker 80s energy, the moodiness and tension in the production, not just the sound. It actually started with a synth hook at my home studio, and from there we built it in layers rather than jamming it out live. It was my first time properly blending live drums with electronic programming, experimenting with textures and effects to let guitars and atmospheres weave in and out of the track. Once we had that foundation, we took it into the studio with Ash Workman to fully realise the vision and push the sonics into something even more immersive.”
It’s another example of the band’s ‘no fucks’ attitude and do things their way. Bugeye’s lyrics touch on subjects from the mundanity of modern city life to global issues such as racism and climate change, and their tunes come wrapped in a riotous optimism that demands you dance along. They have one foot in pop’s past — think 70s dance floor meets post-punk meets noughties optimism— yet also at the forefront of an experimental new electro-pop sound that sees the band moving towards influence from the likes of Goldfrapp.
The Shape Of Things is due for release on 15th May 2026 contains a series of bangers. Produced and mixed by Ash Workman (She Drew The Gun, Christine and the Queens) with co-production and arrangements by Angela, The Shape of Things was mastered by Katie Tavini (Rudimental, Arlo Parks, Los Bitchos).
Bugeye recently did a series of well received gigs, including a storming set in Manchester at The Castle and have more dates lined up throughout spring and summer 2026 on their own UK headline tour dates, plus support slots with snake eyes, cheerbleederz, Millie Manders and The Shutup, Loose Articles, and Dodgy. Tickets are on sale now (see below for listings).
The band will be revealing further album details and live dates over the coming months…
Live Dates:
28 Mar – The Grace, London (w/ Snake Eyes)
12 Apr – Lexington, London (w/ Tiny Stills/cheerbleederz)
18 Apr – Killigrew Inn, Falmouth
23 Apr – Lower Third, London (w/ Millie Manders and the Shutup)
10 May – The Hairy Dog, Derby (w/ Loose Articles)
23 May – Quarters, Brighton (w/ Dodgy)
29 May – PocoLoco. Chatham
05 June – Bullet Festival, London
13 June – The Grace, London (Album Launch)
19 July – Dalton’s, Brighton
24 July – Trowbridge Fest
Find Bugeye via their LinkTree

Photo Supplied by Wall Of Sound PR
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him via his LinkTree
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