What does Christmas 2025 really need? Why, the determinedly analog stylings of a cassette-only release of Duran Duran's 2000 album Pop Trash along with its own bling special-edition cassette player.
The vinyl revival is something that we've talked about on this site fairly often over the years. Despite the fact that any perceived increase in quality is mostly thought to be in the ears of the beholder, the consumption and playing of vinyl is now a firmly mainstream pastime. In an era of instant streaming and gratification, it confers an almost ritualistic status to listening to music. It's not about the audio, it's about the experience.
Nevertheless, the boom in cassette sales that we first noted a handful of years ago seems to be taking things a bit too far. Yes, mixtapes were great, but any media format where a pencil is a key component of sorting out problems seems suspect to us, even if we did always spend that bit extra to get the Chrome C90.
None of this seems to have stopped people adopting it though. UK cassette sales were apparently up 204.7% in the first quarter of 2025 and now we have perhaps the ultimate expression of the modern day Walkman ethos in the shape of the WE-001 Duran Duran Special Edition.
"This cassette player isn’t just a device; it’s a piece of art that perfectly captures the band’s iconic style and the era when their cassettes defined a generation," it writes. "This edition includes a reissue of the Pop Trash album on cassette, bringing those signature chrome and shimmering tones right into your hands."
(Arguably if they were going to do that they should have reissued Duran Duran's second album Rio instead of their tenth, because Pop Trash isn't a classic. But we digress.)
Unlike the 40th Anniversary Sony Walkman we talked about back in 2019, which recreated the look of a tape player via a digital display, this is the genuine thing. It has been updated though.
Anyway the cassette player is optimised for 2025 with true hi-fi sound, a special headphone amplifier designed with cassette playback in mind, aluminium build, and modern features. An extra bluetooth connection allows connection to modern headphones and speakers, and the rechargeable battery lasts for 12 hours.
Want to create your own analog recordings? Plug in a powered mic and hit record. Or plug in a line source via the 3.5mm socket and record anything else. Rather than a pocketful of AA batteries, USB-C charging provides up to 12 hours of playback, and you get an aluminium casing with a rugged finish instead of the old style plastic.
We Are Rewind even sells a dedicated belt clip if you want to show off, which is possibly the most aggressively analog thing we have ever seen.
And yes, it also includes a pencil in the box.
The WE-001 Duran Duran Special Edition Retail Price is $199 / €169 / £149, and is available direct from We Are Rewind. Click here to buy. And if you want more retro feels, just take a look at the $579 GB-001 boombox below while you're there.