Keane will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their second album, Under The Iron Sea, with a newly remastered and expanded reissue, released on July 24 via UMR/Island.
The release follows the band’s successful 2024 anniversary campaign for their debut album Hopes and Fears, which included a world tour and two sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena.
Originally released in 2006, Under The Iron Sea debuted at Number 1 in the UK and Number 4 on the US Billboard 200. The album marked a darker and more electronic shift in sound for the band and includes fan favourites such as “Nothing In My Way,” “Crystal Ball,” “A Bad Dream” and “Is It Any Wonder?”
Speaking about the record, frontman Tom Chaplin said: “It’s been interesting to look back at that time – a complicated period of our lives both musically and personally, but an album that has stood the test of time. In these songs, we created a kind of sinister fairytale-world-gone-wrong, a feeling of confusion and numbness, represented by a dark place under an impenetrable iron sea. We wrote Under the Iron Sea because we needed a record that was going to make us feel alive again.”
The 20th anniversary collection will be released across three physical formats, featuring Brighton artist Sanna Annukka’s original artwork from the album campaign.
The Super Deluxe Boxset includes the original album newly remastered at half speed at Abbey Road Studios, alongside rarities, demos, live tracks, a 10” vinyl of live recordings from ULU in May 2006, and a 7” vinyl featuring Keane’s covers of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” and Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence.” The set also includes a slipmat, patch, poster, hanging mobile and postcard signed by the band.
A 3CD Deluxe Edition will include the remastered album plus two discs of rarities, including previously unreleased tracks, B-sides, demos, acoustic recordings, covers, live performances and BBC sessions. A limited 1LP Zoetrope edition will also be released, featuring the remastered album with animated artwork based on Annukka’s original illustrations.
Keane have also announced Under The Iron Sea: Lyrics and History, a new hardback book created with Faber Music and Island Records. Released on September 24, the book will feature full album lyrics, notebook reproductions, artwork, photographs and reflections from the band.
Formed in 1995 in Battle, East Sussex, Keane are Tom Chaplin, Richard Hughes, Tim Rice-Oxley and Jesse Quin. The band have released five studio albums, four of which topped the UK Albums Chart, and have sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
Keane are currently in the USA working on a new album.
