New Radicals Return With First Original Song In 28 Years For One Night Only Soundtrack

New Radicals have reunited once again to release their first newly written and recorded song under the band’s name since 1998. The track, ‘One Night Only (Break Loose Break Free!)’, has been written for the soundtrack to the forthcoming film One Night Only, starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, marking another unexpected chapter in the revival of Gregg Alexander’s influential but short-lived project. The release represents the first original New Radicals composition since the band’s only studio album, Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too, established Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois as one of the most distinctive songwriting partnerships of the late 1990s. Although New Radicals existed for little more than two years before Alexander dissolved the group in 1999, its influence has continued through Alexander’s extensive work as a songwriter and producer for other artists. ‘One Night Only (Break Loose Break Free!)’ has been written by Alexander, Brisebois and longtime collaborator Nick Lashley, who also perform on the recording. The piano-driven pop-rock song serves as the theme for director Will Gluck’s One Night Only, a romantic comedy built around a fictional world where premarital sex is prohibited except for a single night each year. The film, which opens this week, stars Monica Barbaro alongside Callum Turner and features an ensemble cast including Maya Hawke, Molly Ringwald, Julia Fox, Nicholas Braun, LeVar Burton, Ziwe, Ben Marshall and King Princess. The soundtrack extends beyond the New Radicals recording. King Princess contributes a new interpretation of John Paul Young’s Australian classic ‘Love Is In The Air’, while the film’s original score has been composed by Este Haim and Christopher Stracey. Ahead of the film’s theatrical release, the soundtrack has been issued as a three-track EP featuring the New Radicals song, King Princess’ cover version and a suite from Haim and Stracey’s score. For Alexander, the new release continues a gradual return to recording under the New Radicals name after more than two decades largely away from the spotlight. New Radicals released just one album, Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too, in October 1998. Led by the international hit ‘You Get What You Give’, the album blended alternative rock, soul, pop and social commentary. While ‘You Get What You Give’ became a global hit, Alexander surprised both fans and the music industry by disbanding New Radicals in mid-1999 before the group’s second single, ‘Someday We’ll Know’, had gained momentum. Alexander later explained that the relentless cycle of touring and promotion had left him disillusioned with life as a frontman, preferring to concentrate on writing and producing for other artists rather than continuing the band. That decision ultimately led to one of modern pop’s most successful behind-the-scenes careers. Alexander co-wrote Santana and Michelle Branch’s Grammy-winning hit ‘The Game Of Love’, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s enduring dance anthem ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ and the Academy Award nominated ‘Lost Stars’ from the film Begin Again. His catalogue also includes work with artists including Ronan Keating, Enrique Iglesias and Rod Stewart. Interest in Alexander’s songwriting received renewed attention after ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ enjoyed a major global resurgence following its prominent use in the 2023 film Saltburn, introducing the song to a new generation of listeners. New Radicals first reunited in 2021 for a performance of ‘You Get What You Give’ during the inauguration celebrations for United States President Joe Biden. The song had held personal significance for the Biden family during Beau Biden’s illness and became associated with the presidential campaign. The group resurfaced again in 2024 with newly recorded versions of ‘Lost Stars’ and ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’, before collaborating with Michelle Branch earlier this year on a new version of ‘The Game Of Love’. Those recordings revisited songs Alexander had originally written for other artists. By contrast, ‘One Night Only (Break Loose Break Free!)’ represents an entirely new composition created specifically for New Radicals. Whether the latest release signals a longer-term future for the band remains unclear. Alexander has consistently resisted calls for full-scale reunions over the past quarter century, making each return an isolated event rather than the beginning of a sustained comeback. For now, the new single stands as the first fresh chapter in the New Radicals story since the late 1990s and reconnects one of pop’s most elusive creative partnerships with audiences nearly three decades after its debut.