Fin de Siècle (album)

Fin de Siècle is the sixth album by Northern Irish pop band the Divine Comedy. It was released on 31 August 1998 by Setanta Records. Following the release of fifth studio album A Short Album About Love (1997), frontman Neil Hannon demoed new material at his flat in Clapham. During this time, the relationship between the band and their label Setanta Records was straining as a result of heated discussions over tour costs and studio sessions. They recorded their next album in three studios (September Sound, Olympic and The Dairy) with Jon Jacobs as the main producer and Hannon co-producing. Fin de Siècle is a chamber pop concept album that details living in the 20th century.

Fin de Siècle reached number nine in the UK Albums Chart; all of its singles charted on the UK Singles Chart, with "National Express" reaching the highest at number eight. Fin de Siècle was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry in 1998, while "National Express" was certified silver in 2021. Prior to the album's release, the Divine Comedy headlined the New Stage at Glastonbury Festival in 1998; "Generation Sex" was released as the album's lead single in September 1998. Following this, the band went on a tour of the United Kingdom, and by its end, "The Certainty of Chance" was released as the album's second single. Leading up to a benefit show in early 1999, "National Express" was released as the album's third and final single.