Morrissey and Johnny Marr have both contributed to a new seven-inch single by The Smiths, to be included in Rough Trade Records' upcoming boxset "Rough Trade 45s: Volume 2", due for release on 30 October. The single pairs "The Headmaster Ritual" with "I Want The One I Can't Have", both from 1985's "Meat Is Murder", marking their first release as a single despite the band's original association with the label. The collaboration is notable given the pair's well-documented public feuding in recent years over politics and Smiths-related business matters.

The limited-edition boxset of 1,000 copies will also feature tracks from The Fall, Aztec Camera, Mazzy Star, Scritti Politti, Robert Wyatt and others. Morrissey chose the new artwork, a 1939 image of actor Billy Halop, continuing his tradition of selecting cultural icons for Smiths sleeves, while both he and Marr wrote sleeve notes for the release alongside contributions from Elvis Costello, Stewart Lee and others. The boxset also includes a new interview with Rough Trade co-founders Geoff Travis and Jeannette Lee, and photography by Anton Corbijn.