SKIN - Fake Chemical State - National Album Day 2025

Presenting Skin’s cult solo triumph in its purest form: Fake Chemical State, now pressed on vinyl for the very first time.

Step into Skin’s fiercely honest world as Fake Chemical State crafted and co-produced by Skin herself with co-writer Paul Draper and producer Gordon Raphael. This album pulses with untamed energy, from the moody lead single “Alone in My Room” to the cult-classic “Purple”.

Skin described it as “radiant, quick‑vivid… full of joie de vivre” a sound of transformation and self‑discovery. United under National Album Day and our Black Story campaign, this pressing marks a milestone in Black British rock declaration of Skin’s unapologetic spirit. A defining moment for National Album Day and a statement piece in our Black Story campaign, this colour pressing honours Skin’s bold artistry and her place in rock history.

Though it was largely disregarded by mainstream press and radio outlets when it first appeared, A Northern Soul has deservedly picked up a ‘cult’ following on both sides of the Atlantic, with many of those that missed it first time around becoming converts following the monster success of Urban Hymns.

As lead singer Richard Ashcroft put it at the time: "[The] doors have opened for me personally with my writing. We've been liberated. Touring, you get lost on a rock and roll adventure. You're on the Stardust trip…. But then you come home and it's time to get twenty Regal and a pastie and assess who you are. That's why the new album's got more soul to it. It's modern Northern blues."

The bone-crunching riff of ‘This Is Music’ was unleashed as the lead single in May 1995, followed by the reflective acoustic gem ‘On Your Own’ a month later. The group then went on the road in the UK - including appearances at the Glastonbury and Phoenix Festivals - and the US before returning to the UK to play at Glasgow’s T in the Park.

At its conclusion, Ashcroft announced his departure from the band and the third single, ‘History’, was released after they parted ways. In retrospect it offered a foretaste of Ashcroft’s songwriting direction on Urban Hymns but on its release the idea that another album by The Verve might ever exist appeared fanciful and A Northern Soul was regarded as a worthy full stop to short but incandescent career.

This 30th anniversary pressing, using the acclaimed 2016 remaster, is on ‘red opaque’ vinyl, chosen for its proximity to the colour of the corduroy trousers worn by bassist Jones on the reverse of the sleeve.