“Yeah, I apologize for the absence of humor; I can't be funny all the time.” – Neil Hannon, 2025
Can anyone surpass Neil Hannon's prolific musical journey as the brilliant mind behind The Divine Comedy? With 12 studio albums released over more than 33 years, Hannon has also ventured into composing for theater and film: from the 2023 film Wonka featuring Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet, to the beloved theme song and ‘My Lovely Horse’ from the cherished sitcom Father Ted, as well as tracks for Doctor Who and numerous other projects. Despite his extensive work, there exists a woefully underrated and understated aspect to his artistry.
His most recent effort with The Divine Comedy features his 13th album, ‘Rainy Sunday Afternoon’ – a deeply reflective and sincere exploration of family, nostalgia, and mortality. The playful personas that once masked his work are gone, revealing a storyteller at his most candid.
Clash connects with Neil through a video call, both of them seated in a post-lunch lull, tea in hand. This calm atmosphere seems perfectly aligned with the essence of the album. Before diving into the discussion, Neil dryly notes, “There’s no point in making an album if you don't promote it.”
“I chose the title ‘Rainy Sunday Afternoon’ because I didn’t want a grandiose, heroic name like I typically do for my albums. It should simply reflect where your mind wanders on a rainy Sunday afternoon.”
But where did the album's inception occur? Neil traces its origin to his work on Wonka, explaining, “Everything seems to flow from one project to another, and in this case, it stemmed from my time working on Wonka. With their substantial budget, we spent what felt like months in Abbey Road Studio Three with excellent session musicians and Tom Bailey as the engineer. I thought, ‘I want to create one record that sounds this fantastic before I die.’”
He continues, “I always have a go-to group, like a squad, from which I assemble the band for each album. Just like in football, a different match requires a slightly altered team. I was considering – if I record at Abbey Road and really go for it, what songs would fit that setting best? It turned out to be the more introspective, intricately arranged, somewhat subdued tracks.”
Back in 2021, Neil celebrated The Divine Comedy’s 30 years with a short film set in his “mind palace,” each room signifying one of his albums. Reflecting on what ‘Rainy Sunday Afternoon’ would embody, he says, “I envision imagery from ‘The Man Who Turned Into A Chair.’ A rather drab room with muslin curtains, and just one tattered armchair in the center, with a man smoking a pipe who gradually becomes the chair. – I must create a video for that song; it’ll be wonderful!”
He admits he may have exaggerated when stating his wife remarked, “If you sit there any longer, you’ll turn into a chair,” inspiring the tune ‘The Man Who Turned Into A Chair.’ “It's likely influenced by watching five days of the test match without moving. I realized a defining aspect of my later years…is sitting,” Neil laughs.
At the center of the album lies what could be the unexpected contender for the 2025 Christmas number one, ‘All The Pretty Lights.’ However, Neil quickly clarifies, “Even the youthful Christmas song carries a lot of pathos.” The idea of achieving a seasonal hit lights up his face for a moment. “Yes, please! I’m not naïve. I have no idea how to create a hit record anymore since the entire system has changed from my early days. And I don’t see why I should have a hit anyway—that's for the younger crowd. But if many people enjoyed that song and purchased it, that would result in a big hit, and that would be unbelievable since I've never had a Christmas hit. But I’m not going to hold my breath.”
While Christmas success isn’t certain, one thing The Divine Comedy consistently delivers is love songs. From the entire 1997 album ‘A Short Album About Love’ to other classics like ‘Songs of Love,’ ‘Everybody Knows (Except You),’ ‘To The Rescue,’ and even the humorously sensual ‘I Like,’ Hannon has been a pop romantic for ages. On ‘Rainy Sunday Afternoon,’ this tradition continues with ‘I Want You.’ When asked how he continues to excel in this genre, Neil shouts to the next room, “It’s because of how much I love my wife!”
When Neil isn't expressing longing, he isn't shy about delivering social critique. Consider tracks like ‘Generation Sex’ or the 2019 album ‘Office Politics.’ The new song ‘Mar-A-Lago By The Sea’ is a dark mambo set within the confines of Mar-A-Lago
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"Apologies for the absence of jokes; I can't manage it constantly." – Neil Hannon, 2025 Is it possible to be more prolific than Neil Hannon's musical career?