Simple Minds' eighteenth studio album Direction of the Heart finds the band at their most confident and anthemic best and is an inspired celebration of life, most evident on the captivating lead single "Vision Thing." Most of the tracks were written, created and demoed in Sicily, where both Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill live. Unable to come to the UK because of quarantine rules, the album was recorded at Hamburg's Chameleon Studios. Here they produced the album, later enlisting Andy Wright (Massive Attack, Echo & The Bunnymen) and Gavin Goldberg (Simply Red, KT Tunstall) for additional production. Bassist Ged Grimes (who co-wrote two of the new songs, "First You Jump" and "Solstice Kiss"), drummer Cherisse Osei and vocalist Sarah Brown joined them on some of the tracks, recording their parts separately in London. All of this disparate work is belied by an album which sounds like a cohesive record – one of the most exciting and invigorating of Simple Minds career to date. Guests include Sparks' frontman Russell Mael and former Ged Grimes music partner from Danny Wilson, songwriter Gary Clark.