The Libertines on their future and “striving for the perfect song”

The Libertines have opened up about their mission to strive for the “perfect song” and shared what the future might look like for the band.

• READ MORE: The Libertines talk being clean and connected: “We just want to write beautiful songs in the moment”

The group recently announced their forthcoming new album ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’, out March 2024, with the single ‘Run Run Run’ earlier this month.

Ahead of the album’s release, Carl Barat and Pete Doherty spoke to NME about what shaped their long-awaited fourth album, including sobriety, a sense of togetherness and the desire “to write beautiful songs”.

When asked if the band still had any bucket list moments they wanted to achieve, Doherty said: “I’ve got a new batch of songs on the brew that I’d really like Carl to hear and see what he can do with them.”

Barat added: “I’m always striving for the perfect song myself. I don’t know if you ever find it. It’s a bit Sisyphean, isn’t it? We’ll get there, or not.”

Doherty also spoke about how his own personal journey with sobriety had motivated him to show up for the band, having previously shared that being drug-free and living a serene life in France helped shape the album ‘The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime’ with collaborator Frédéric Lo.

“It’s just an everyday scrap, really,” Doherty said. “It’s proper toe-to-toe with the demons, but because I believe so much in Carl, Gary, John and this record, it’s a pleasure. I just want to do my bit, be as professional as I can, let people hear the songs, and then go and play them. If not, we try again maybe or just crack on with the hotel and see if we can do anything with that.”

The pair also shared whether fans might have to endure another eight-year gap between albums.

“Maybe it will, you never know. We’re trying not to put that pressure on ourselves at this stage,” said Barat. I’d like to get in a flow state where songs just come out, but I find it quite hard work.”

Elsewhere in the chat, The Libertines spoke about the possibility of a biopic and shared that they have already “tried to sit down and write some screenplays”. However, Doherty said that he’s unlikely to be able to watch a forthcoming documentary about his life again.