British pop favorites S Club 7 have returned with their first new song in 20 years, “These Are the Days,” a poignant tune honoring late member Paul Cattermole, who died earlier this year as the band was gearing up for a big reunion.
Released under the slightly altered moniker, S Club, “These Are the Days” is nostalgic but still bubbly pop: “Because these are the days of our lives,” goes the chorus, “That we’ll always remember/Here’s to the craziest times/That we’ve been through together.” The accompanying video, directed by Howard Greenhalgh, fittingly shows the members of S Club reminiscing together over old photo books and movies.
There’s a bittersweet edge to the song for what has been a bittersweet year for S Club 7. Back on Valentine’s Day, the original group — Tina, Paul, Hannah, Jon, Rachel, Bradley, and Jo — announced that they would fully reunite for the first time in eight years for a 25th anniversary tour. Just two months later, though, Cattermole died from heart-related issues at the age of 46.
“We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul,” S Club 7 said in a statement at the time. “There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us.”
A few months later, in May, S Club 7 announced that they would go ahead with the reunion tour but also revealed that Hannah Spearritt would not be joining them. In a video announcing the decision, Jon Lee said, “You’ve probably noticed that there’s only five of us here today, and although Hannah will always be part of S Club 7, she won’t be joining us on this tour. We wish her all the best for the future. However, the five of us are really excited and geared up.” (No reason for Spearritt’s departure was given, though the British tabloid the Mirror reported that she was “inconsolable” after Cattermole’s death.)
S Club will kick off their reunion tour in October. The trek has been renamed the Good Times tour, also in honor of Cattermole, who sang lead on the group’s 2001 song of the same name.