Andy Burrows, the drummer for Razorlight, has announced his first solo album in seven years. Titled «Map Of The World», the record is set for release on January 29, 2027, through Burrows' own label, Free Pass Records. Alongside the announcement, Burrows has shared the album's first single, «Nothing Matters Anyway», an exuberant, short, and bombastic track that signals a return to solo work after years of composing for film and television.
The new single features Keith Murray of We Are Scientists on guitar and is built around driving, '70s-inspired instrumentation and layered vocal harmonies. Burrows explained the song's intent in a statement: «It's supposed to be freeing, not negative. We spend so much time caring about what people think, especially with phones and social media. And then you realise: no one gives a shit!» The track serves as a preview of the album's tone, which Burrows wrote entirely himself and recorded predominantly at his home studio in Gloucestershire.
«Map Of The World» includes contributions from several notable collaborators. Editors frontman Tom Smith appears on the record, reuniting with Burrows after their two albums as Smith & Burrows. The pair first collaborated on 2011's festive album «Funny Looking Angels» before returning a decade later with «Only Smith & Burrows Is Good Enough». The new album will include a track titled «Seriously», which brings Burrows and Smith together again. Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire also contributes to the finished record, and the album's title comes from a lyric included in a collection of words Wire gave to Burrows, written out in gold lettering. Additional contributions come from We Are Scientists' Keith Murray, Burrows' younger brother Ben, and his daughter Joni.
The album follows Burrows' 2019 collaboration with author Matt Haig, «Reasons To Stay Alive». Speaking ahead of that release, Burrows said working with Haig allowed him to make music about mental health while retaining «hope and optimism». «There is a lot of hope and optimism in his words, without being cheesy,» he said at the time. «There's an acceptance of anxiety, whether within ourselves or as a result of what's around us – I think we all go through that.»
Beyond his solo career, Burrows has composed music for numerous film and television projects. He co-wrote the score for «The Snowman And The Snowdog» with Ilan Eshkeri, and his long-running collaboration with Ricky Gervais has included music for «David Brent: Life On The Road», «After Life», and, most recently, the Netflix series «Alley Cats».
Burrows remains a member of Razorlight after the band's classic line-up reunited in 2021. They released «Planet Nowhere» in 2024, their first album featuring Burrows, Johnny Borrell, Björn Ågren, and Carl Dalemo together since 2008's «Slipway Fires». Earlier this year, Razorlight also announced a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their self-titled second album. The new solo album marks a distinct chapter for Burrows, balancing his ongoing commitments with the band alongside a renewed focus on his own songwriting.