La Roux return: The internet has its say

It has been five years - FIVE YEARS - since La Roux last released a new record. Even Michael Jackson has managed two albums in the intervening period and, last time I checked, he was dead.

But the self-imposed hiatus ended last night, when the band put out a new single*, Let Me Down Gently. "Let me in for a minute / You're not my life but I want you in it," sings Ellie over a sparse, sustained organ chord. Then, after a slow burning two-and-a-half-minute intro, a dramatic pause ushers in a second half full of undulating synths and a strangled saxophone solo.

It's all beautifully produced, and (almost) worth the wait. But does La Roux still have a fanbase after all this time?

I had a look on Twitter for reactions to the song, but almost every post was a music blog saying "La Roux are back" (natch). The rest of the comments fell into one of five distinct categories:

1) The delighted

That was so worth the wait. @larouxofficial you beauty.

— Gorjan Markovski (@Doobydum) May 13, 2014

2) The disdainful

Who authorised the return of La Roux? This is awful. What next, new material from The Ting Tings? An arena tour from Natasha Bedingfield?

— IncrediblyRich (@IncrediblyRich) May 13, 2014

3) The analytical

That is quite a ruddy big gap in the new La Roux song isn't it. pic.twitter.com/n0GBuK4tzb

— Stefan (@stefanatical) May 13, 2014

4) The confused

‘La Roux is back’ or ‘La Roux are back’? I’ve seen both.

— Sentric Music (@SentricMusic) May 13, 2014

5) The French

#música @LaRouxOfficial regala su impecable #LetMeDownGently al reservar su esperado nuevo álbum http://t.co/pX38VT9G46

— Chueca (@chueca_com) May 13, 2014

Whichever camp you fall into, the song is available on iTunes today - with a new album Trouble In Paradise (nine tracks, suggesting a work rate of one song every seven months) on its way in July.

And here it is. Well done if you scrolled this far.

La Roux - Let Me Down Gently

* Update: Apparently it's not a single but a "taster track" whatever that means.

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