New Kids on the Block Are ‘Still Kids’ as They Drop First Album in 11 Years
New Kids on the Block are back, with their first album in over a decade, Still Kids, out today, May 17.
The 14-track album was announced back in March, alongside new single “Kids,” an Eighties-style pop gem about making the most out of every moment. New Kids dropped one more single ahead of the album’s release, “A Love Like This,” which arrived in April. Still Kids features a couple of guests, with DJ Jazzy Jeff joining the Boston boy band on “Get Down” while Taylor Dayne sings on “Old School Love.”
“This album, more than any other, is bringing the New Kids and the fans full circle,” Donnie Wahlberg said in a statement when the album was announced. “It’s about hope and possibilities and being ourselves. It’s the most mature album we’ve ever made. Yet it’s the most fun and most comfortable album we’ve ever made.”
Wahlberg served as the album’s creative director and co-wrote half of the 14 songs with Lars Halvor Jensen and his production company, Deekay music. Wahlberg’s bandmate, Joey McIntyre, was credited as a writer on six songs with songwriter/producer Sean Thomas.
“It says a lot about any band to make a record that has energy and passion and lightness and fun and depth,” McIntyre said. “After almost 40 years together? It’s crazy.”
Still, Kids marks the first New Kids on the Block album since 2013’s 10, though in 2017, the group did drop an EP, Thankful.
New Kids — which boasts Wahlberg, McIntyre, Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, and Danny Wood — will soon launch their extensive Magic Summer 2024 tour, which will also feature Paul Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff. The trek kicks off June 14 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and wraps Aug. 25 in Noblesville, Indiana.