The Lost Tapes (Sugababes album)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Lost Tapes is the eighth studio album by the British girl group Sugababes and their first independent release. It features the original lineup and was recorded between 2011 and 2013, with additional work done in late 2022. The album was released digitally on 24 December 2022, and a deluxe version with three extra tracks followed on 31 December 2022.

The project began when the original members reunited, and it became one of the first releases under the Sugababes name after the lineup changes in the late 2000s. The group worked with various writers and producers, including Naughty Boy, MNEK, Sia, and Shaznay Lewis. Over the years, many songs from the project leaked online, and one track, Too in Love, could not be included on The Lost Tapes because its rights had already been licensed to another artist. The album was initially linked to the title The Sacred Three, but Keisha Buchanan later suggested The Lost Tapes as the official name.

Musically, The Lost Tapes blends different styles: 80s-inspired pop on tracks like Flatline, pop-rock on Summer of ’99 and Boys, and breakbeat elements on Today. The single Flatline was first released in 2013 and re-released in 2022.

In the UK, the album debuted at number two on the UK Digital Albums chart and number 13 on the UK Independent Albums chart, while it reached number 150 on the UK Albums Chart. After a one-off show at the O2 in September 2023, it climbed to number seven on the UK Independent Albums chart and charted at number 23 in Scotland. Following the deluxe edition release, three tracks—Back to Life, Only You, and Breathe Me—entered the UK Singles Downloads Chart in January 2023.

The Lost Tapes was promoted with a UK and Europe tour in 2022–2023, with Kara Marni as the supporting act. The group performed songs from across the Sugababes’ history, including material from The Lost Tapes that had not yet been officially released.