| Reflections | ||||
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| Released | 9 January 2026 | |||
| Length | 40:31 | |||
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| Singles from Reflections | ||||
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Reflections is the seventh studio album by English boy band Blue. It was released on 9 January 2026 through Blue Blood International and Cooking Vinyl. [2] [3]
After years of solo projects and no intention to record new material together, [4] Blue reunited in early 2020 to write new music. [5] Although the band had no plan to craft a full body of work, the sessions produced five finished songs. [6] Encouraged by the results, the group continued recording, [5] and although another studio album was not initially planned, their reunion with their former producer and A&R manager Hugh Goldsmith led to the creation of a new Blue album, their first since 2015's Colors . [7] Issued in October 2022, Heart & Soul debuted at number 22 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Blue's lowest-charting album to date. [8]
Following the release of Heart & Soul, the group was initially hesitant to record new music, feeling unsure about the direction and wary of criticism if the band, now in their 40s, would attempt another comeback. [9] They eventually proceeded with recording, drawing on personal and professional experiences, including financial challenges, loss, and raising families, resulting in a new album to coincide with their 25th anniversary as a band. [9] In discussing Reflections, Blue noted that the album combines classic material with new songs and incorporates a variety of influences. [10] As a four-member band with all members contributing to the songwriting, the group described the album as containing guitar-driven tracks, large ballads, and R&B, while maintaining the signature Blue sound. [10]
"One Last Time", co-written by band member Duncan James, was released as the album's first single on 4 September 2025. [11] A music video for the song, directed by Matt Evers, was released on 14 September. [12] "One Last Time" debuted and peaked at number 62 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart. [13]
A second single, "Waste My Love", co-written by Simon Webbe, was issued on 30 October 2025, [14] [15] [16] followed by "Beautiful Spiritual", co-written by Lee Ryan, which was released as the album's third single on 27 November 2025. [17] [18] A fourth single to precede Reflections, "Candlelight Fades," co-written by Antony Costa, was released on 19 December 2025. [19]
The album will be supported by a tour across April and May 2026. [20]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [21] |
| laut.de | [22] |
Jo Forrest from Total Ntertainment found that Reflections "shapes a new future for Blue, one that's shaped by more recent life experiences but still powered by the enthusiasm that they shared from the start. Manifested in 13 glorious songs all written by the band – Blue reflect on their shared history, their partnership, their friendship, their communal triumphs, personal passions, and individual challenges." [20] Prinz editor Else Eberz called Reflections a "versatile body of work the four musicians are clearly proud of. Fans can look forward to a broad sonic palette: from the signature blue R&B sound of "Waste My Love," to heartfelt ballads like "Candlelight Fades," and all the way to the high-energy track "Beautiful Spiritual"." [23]
Writing for The Times , Will Hodgkinson noted that Blue's later work places them alongside groups such as Take That and Westlife, portraying the band as "middle-aged men traversing the rocky road of adulthood while still clinging onto their youthful glory days". He described Reflections as polished and directed at long-standing fans, emphasising familiarity rather than musical reinvention. [24] Smiliarly, Michael Cragg from The Guardian described the album as a "clunkier approximation of their (comparatively) harder-edged hybrid of pop, hip-hop and R&B; think 2002 "low ride" anthem "Fly By II" but on a Megabus budget." He concluded that "the four-piece try to tap into modern pop's deep well of nostalgia but come off like Westlife on a bad day". [21] laut.de 's Emil Dröll wrote: "What Blue deliver are thirteen variations of the same song, carried by a stubborn refusal to finally leave the old days behind. Reflections is an album for enthusiastic radio listeners and for all those for whom anthems can never be anthemic enough." [22]
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the group's highest charting studio album since 2003's Guilty . [25] The album also debuted at number one on the UK Album Downloads Chart, the UK Albums Sales Chart, and the UK Independent Albums Chart, and at number three on the UK Vinyl Albums Chart. [26]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Vow" |
| Goldcrush | 3:49 |
| 2. | "One Last Time" |
| Goldcrush | 3:18 |
| 3. | "You Should Know" |
| Goldcrush | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Look What You Started" |
| Goldcrush | 2:49 |
| 5. | "Candlelight Fades" |
| Goldcrush | 3:14 |
| 6. | "The Day the Earth Stood Still" |
| Goldcrush | 2:56 |
| 7. | "Where I Came From" |
| Goldcrush | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Waste My Love" |
| N3RD | 3:13 |
| 9. | "All About Us" |
| N3RD | 3:08 |
| 10. | "Neon Honey" |
| Goldcrush | 2:40 |
| 11. | "Beautiful Spiritual" |
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| 12. | "Souls of the Underground" |
| N3RD | 2:48 |
| 13. | "Find That Feeling" |
| Woodcock | 2:59 |
| Total length: | 40:31 | |||
| Chart (2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [27] | 16 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [28] | 41 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [29] | 1 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [30] | 77 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [31] | 2 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [32] | 1 |
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 9 January 2026 |
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| [2] |