Alberta Cross 'Re-Imagine' Debut Album ‘The Thief And The Heartbreaker’

Anglo-Swedish band Alberta Cross has announced the upcoming release of their reworked 2007 debut The Thief and The Heartbreaker, due later this year. Each of the original seven songs and one bonus track will feature surprise guest artists, drawn from the array of stellar friends and musicians the band has known and worked with throughout their career.

Re-recorded in Frome, Somerset, at Ethan John and Dom Monks (Big Thief), Bert Jansch studio (Big Thief), the forthcoming release was self-produced by Alberta Cross vocalist Petter Stakee, and mastered at the hallowed Abbey Road Studios. 

The first single, "Lucy Rider," features the vocals of British singer and songwriter Katie Melua now available across all streaming platforms. Check it out below.

“I met Katie in my early 20s. She was one of the first champions of the band even before we got a record deal," Petter reflects. "It felt full circle to meet again after my years away living in New York City and to write together. We ended up doing some songs for her last two records. We’ve always had a creative connection so it was important to me to have her involved with this project. ‘Lucy Rider’ is a song I wrote about a beautiful girl I used to know in East London. She had so much going for her but she kept getting more and more involved with bad company and all that goes with that. It felt very dark to see at the time. It’s about how she kept pushing away all the positives she had going for her and replaced it with the bad things. Katie’s stunning voice felt perfect for this one.”

Katie Melua adds, “I met Petter and Terry from Alberta Cross in the early 2000s and have been a fan of the band for so long, I definitely played the Thief and the Heartbreaker to death during my 20s! So when Petter asked me to guest on the new version of Lucy Rider, it was a big yes.”

Alberta Cross was founded by singer and guitarist Petter Ericson Stakee and London’s Terry Wolfers in the mid-00s. Their anthemic Americana-tinged songs possess a vulnerability and earthiness and they have consistently pushed the boundaries of alternative music with their timeless sound and artistic vision. 

Originally released in 2007 as a collection of self produced demos, Alberta Cross’s debut The Thief and The Heartbreaker set the blueprint of their sound. 

“It felt so great writing those songs,” recalls Petter. “Wherever I play in the world, I still have to play them. It felt so pure, it was one of the most exciting times I’ve had as a songwriter.” 

What followed was success on both sides of the Atlantic and the relentless grind of US touring that comes with it. They embarked on high-profile jaunts with Mumford & Sons, Portugal. The Man, Neil Young, Them Crooked Vultures and Rag N’ Bone Man and performed on distinguished TV shows around the globe, appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman, Last Call with Carson Daly and more, whilst their tracks were featured on hit TV shows such as Million Little Pieces, Sons Of Anarchy and Californication. More recently, 2023 saw the release of Alberta Cross’s most recent album Sinking Ships. 

For more info, head over the Albert Cross Facebook, X and Instagram pages.