In a musical crossover that absolutely nobody had on their 2026 bingo card, Northern Irish indie stalwarts Snow Patrol and global pop royalty Kylie Minogue have officially announced a surprise joint single, ‘These Alarms’. Set for release on Wednesday 1 July via BMG, the track promises to be a beautifully unexpected melding of two of the UK and Ireland’s most enduring chart forces.
Described as a yearning, bittersweet anthem driven by urgent, pulsating synths, ‘These Alarms’ thrives on the striking, layered contrast between frontman Gary Lightbody’s signature melancholic vocals and Kylie’s shimmering, crystalline delivery, all building toward a characteristically epic, sweeping chorus.
The story behind the track’s inception makes the release even more fascinating. Lightbody originally penned the track with Kylie specifically in mind, and the band went as far as recording it during the sessions for their 2024 UK Number 1 album, The Forest is the Path. Throughout production, the track was quite literally kept on the grid under the working title ‘KYLIE’. However, once tracking wrapped, the band realized a critical piece of the puzzle was missing.
“We quickly realised something huge was missing from it,” Lightbody explains. “We all knew it was Kylie’s voice that was the missing piece. Nate suggested we send it to her… she liked it, recorded her wonderful voice on it, and finally the song felt complete. We knew, to properly honour Kylie and the song, it needed to have a life on its own and not be buried somewhere on an album, but live in its own universe.”
Kylie proved equally helpless against the song’s charm, adding: “The story behind this song was irresistible… Hearing there was a demo called Kylie that had been living in the Snow Patrol archives was a complete surprise and, naturally, I was curious to hear it. Gary is such a brilliant songwriter, so to be invited into the band’s world is a total honour.”
The collaborative power move aligns beautifully with massive milestones for both acts. Snow Patrol are currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 8x Platinum milestone album Eyes Open (the home of ‘Chasing Cars’), while Kylie continues her unstoppable hot streak following her recent Netflix documentary launch and targeted global headlines.
Aside from hit streaming platforms on 1 July, superfans can get their hands on a gorgeous tangible slice of the collaboration. A limited-edition yellow marble 7” physical vinyl—boasting a B-side remix by Roy Kerr and original jacket artwork painted by Gary Lightbody himself—is available for pre-order from today, slated to ship on 21 August.
Snow Patrol will hit the road across the UK for a string of major outdoor dates this summer, including a massive, highly anticipated headline show at London’s Crystal Palace Park on Friday 3 July.
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