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Nduduzo Makhathini Official

The Myth We Choose

NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI

Released 26 June 2026

Blue Note Records

*****

A visionary spiritual transformation of contemporary jazz into a profound cosmic prophecy, purposefully designed to shape the healing myths of tomorrow.

Nduduzo Makhathini is a venerated 43-year-old South African pianist, composer, educator, and healer who approaches musical performance as a sacred, transformative ritual. Infusing his work with ancestral depth, he seamlessly merges spirit-seeking American jazz (heavily inspired by heroes John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner) with the irresistible, gospel-tinged melodic radiance of Abdullah Ibrahim (sadly, recently deceased) and mentor Bheki Mseleku. An exceedingly modest visionary, Makhathini utilizes his expansive discography to challenge the historical exploitation of the Black body for mere entertainment. Instead, he treats sound as a powerful vehicle for prophecy, self-reflection, and the restoration of physical vitality.

Co-produced alongside his 18-year-old son Thingo, Makhathini’s fourth Blue Note masterpiece deliberately focuses on music's multi-generational impact, consciously designing the myths that future societies will inherit.

Backed by his stellar working trio and brilliant guests like Shabaka Hutchings and Black Coffee, the record beautifully infuses traditional South African gospel glows and Afro-Cuban rhythms with modern electronics, artful neo-soul, and vocoder-tinged drama. Tracks like"Unembeza" and "Tethered" strike an enigmatic balance between the sacred and the sultry, while the poignant centrepiece "Ḽiṅwalo ḽa Mubebi" reflects tenderly on fatherly love.

The English-language ballad “What People Say”, featuring vocalist Omagugu Makhathini, provides a meditation on the creation of myths. Both tracks are unforgettable, dripping with feeling and demanding repeat listens. Ditto “Ekuqaleni,” where Makhathini matches the high drama and constant motion of The Bad Plus with Kraftwerkian vocoder.

Vocals, including Makhathini’s incantations, take pride of place at various points, and the decision to color more songs with voice was rooted in part in our fractured, dystopian global landscape. By channeling ancestral wisdom on "Imvunge KaNtu" and exploring forgiveness on "Kuzodlula," Makhathini successfully turns performance into a communal ritual.

“Wayne Shorter said something really beautiful that I liked some years ago,” Makhathini says. “His idea was to play and write music the way you want the world to be, the world that you hope for. That’s always my purpose.”

Blue Note Records

Cecile McLorin Salvant Official

With Every Breath I Take

CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT

Released 26 June 2026

Nonesuch Records

*****

A brilliant reworking of selections from the musical theater songbook that pairs unmatched emotional gravity and breathtaking vocal mastery.

One of the monumental musical events of the year, With Every Breath I Take unites the combined talents of conductor Jules Buckley, the sprawling Metropole Orkest, and generational vocal phenom Cécile McLorin Salvant. Marking a stunning pivot in her trajectory, Salvant sets aside the expected path following the self-penned variety of 2025’s Oh Snap, the intense chanson storytelling of Mélusine (2023), and the bold, eclectic boundaries of Ghost Song (2022). Diving headfirst into the musical theater and film songbooks, she embraces a set of accessible, well-known pieces, interpreting and completely redefining them. This masterful orchestral release seems destined to broaden her unparalleled legend.

Where standard tribute albums risk falling into predictable coziness, With Every Breath I Take breathes spectacular, dramatic life into traditional stage works. Backed by Darcy James Argue’s moody, intricate arrangements, Salvant treats these selections as high-stakes theater. On Sondheim's "Being Alive" (from his 1970 Broadway musical Company) and "Send in the Clowns" (A Little Night Music, 1973), she bypasses simple romanticism, injecting a sharp, vulnerable bite that lays bare the isolation inherent in the lyrics. The Metropole Orkest responds beautifully under Jules Buckley's baton, swelling with cinematic scale on the title track and matching her hushed intimacy on the 1930's Billy Strayhorn standard "Lush Life".

The standout track though is her interpretation of Kurt Weil and Bertolt Brecht's "Barbara Song", from the 1928 play "The Threepenny Opera", as her captivating vocal captures this cynical cabaret piece that parodies bourgeois morality.

Her single original song in this set,"Left Over" (previously recorded for her 2015 album "For One To Love"), follows seamlessly, ahead of "Ever Since The One I Love's Been Gone". In the former she wonders "...if he knows how much I care for him " and in the latter confides, " I'm like a king without his throne, Ever since the one I love's been gone."

Adding depth and timeless sophistication to the programme, Salvant pairs "Les Parapluies de Cherbourg" (from the 1964 Michele Legrand musical film) and Noel Coward's "I'll See You There", a song of yearning (from the 1929 Operetta "Bitter Sweet").

By anchoring her brilliant vocal range within this lush, orchestral landscape, Salvant doesn’t just cover these timeless classics - she completely reshapes their emotional landscapes, delivering a definitive masterpiece.

Metropole Orkest Official

Then Again

RODNEY CROWELL

Released 26 June 2026

New West Records

*****

Shelved for twenty years, Rodney Crowell’s unearthed treasure bridges the gap between mid-career outrage and late-stage spiritual grace.

Rodney Crowell is a foundational pillar of Americana music, widely celebrated for his masterfully detailed storytelling and emotional fearlessness. Emerging from the legendary 1970s Nashville songwriting circle alongside Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, Crowell spent decades shifting between mainstream country success and fiercely independent roots music. By the mid-2000s - he was enjoying a profound creative renaissance fueled by a trilogy of critically acclaimed, socially conscious albums The Houston Kid in 2001, Fate’s Right Hand in 2003 and The Outsider in 2005. Now in his mid-seventies, Crowell continues to refine his artistic legacy, balancing a legacy of sharp-witted social commentary with an increasingly reflective, deeply moving spiritual perspective. His 2025 release Airline Highway found him in fine form and boundless energy. But now he opens his archive and returns to a shelved, but un-forgotten treasure.

Recorded in 2005 and promptly shelved, Then Again arrives as a stunning, time-capsule triumph. Originally captured during Crowell's mid-aughts creative peak, the record was put aside when the songwriter felt strangely disconnected from the initial masters. Decades of experience have revealed what a younger Crowell couldn't see: a brilliant, nuanced exploration of mortality and vitality. Backed by a stellar, smoking-hot band featuring Steuart Smith (guitars) and Benmont Tench (keys), the album flows effortlessly from political wit to profound tenderness. "If I Could Talk To Leonard" pays humble tribute to his Canadian counterpart. "The Ballad of Artemis and Orion" transposes the Greek myth to finger-picked, mandolin. The inclusion of "Are You One of Us?" - the final, haunting collaboration recorded with the late Guy Clark - casts a gorgeous, bittersweet light over the entire project.

Elsewhere, "The Has-Been Vents His Spleen" is as hilarious as its title suggests and the newly tracked "Go Light a Candle" features Lera Lynn and Emmylou Harris, brings the album firmly into the present - a subtle musical protest against ICE raids and broader societal division. Lyle Lovett and Chely Wright join Crowell for "Watcha Gonna Do Now #2" and Kieran Goss and Annie Kinsella add vocals for "Sing Your Heart Out".

As Crowell's Bandcamp entry observes, "Then Again" is "... a work of nuance, insight, and sensitivity that considers death but celebrates life. “I’m trying to understand that this spirit of mine is going to leave this body and go off somewhere else" writes Crowell. I’ve got a pretty good idea that it’s going to be someplace good, but I still need to perfect some part of my spiritual journey here before I check out. I can see that in these songs now.”

Rodney Crowell Official

Something True

MIU SAKAMOTO

Released 24 June 2026

Universal Music Japan

*****

The subtle deployment of musical minimalism and devastating lyrical poise; explicitly challenging political brutality through a lens of healing empathy.

The daughter of the late, legendary avant-garde composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and singer-songwriter Yano Okiko, Miu Sakamoto (born 1980) has long carved out her own ethereal space in the musical landscape. Raised between Tokyo and New York City - where she spent her formative years from age nine through high school graduation - she continues to split her perspective and time between both cultural hubs. Arriving five years after her last full-length release, birds fly (2021), this project reflects an artist deeply shaped by a global upbringing. Outside the studio, Sakamoto’s humanitarian soul shines through her extensive human aid work and community activism, bringing a profound sense of global empathy and healing to her musical sanctuary.

Something True is a masterful ambient-and-vocals narrative built entirely on intimate, intentional collaborations that bridge contemporary Japanese artistry with expansive, minimalist soundscapes. Enlisting the distinct sonic signatures of pop-folk auteur Naotaro Moriyama, bossa-tinged minimalist Goro Ito, and neo-classical composer Marihiko Hara, Sakamoto curates an exquisite, quiet universe that feels both deeply rooted and universally accessible. The album’s emotional architecture relies on sparse instrumentation to give her gossamer vocals complete atmospheric weight.

The title, "Something True," reflects the desire to find certainty in a world where what was once believed to be true has become uncertain. Beginning with the gorgeous "Lullaby", this sumptuous collection guides (or should that be glides?) the listener through a considered journey that touches grief and peace. The album reflects Sakamoto's recent focus on humanitarian aid in the Palestinian territories. The opening track is followed by "If I must die," a devastatingly gorgeous, poignant poem by Gazan university professor and poet Rifaat Alareer.

"If I must die,

you must live

to tell my story

to sell my things

to buy a piece of cloth

and some strings,

(make it white with a long tail)

so that a child, somewhere in Gaza

while looking heaven in the eye

awaiting his dad , who left in a blaze -

and bid no one farewell

not even to his flesh

not even to himself -

sees the kite, my kite you made

flying up above

and thinks for a moment an angel is there, bringing back love,

if I must die,

let it bring hope,

let it be a tale."

After this engaging start, Something True's narrative continues to sway between comfort and disquiet - an apt response to a fractured world. The breathy vocals and quiet guitar of "Utsukushii Ame", a poetic track, written by Naotaro Moriyama, uses the image of rain as a metaphor for memory and longing. Later, "Fog" unfolds like a shifting cloud of delicate piano and synth textures, capturing a blurred, meditative headspace. This flows seamlessly into "sanbika" (hymn), as the ambient narrative elevates into a secular spirituality, Sakamoto's soprano echoing prayer-like in an open room. The album concludes with lyricist Sadayoshi Okamoto's"Seiyakyoku" (Quiet Night), which was co-written and arranged by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The piano track played by Sakamoto during the original recording is used for this version, creating a timeless duet between father and daughter.

Miu Sakamoto Official

Wikipedia

Tucker Zimmerman Official

Dream Me A Dream

TUCKER ZIMMERMAN

Released 19 June 2026

Big Potato

*****

Discovering this artist's final, posthumous masterwork feels like unearthing an ancient, haunting dispatch of beautiful cosmic folk from a forgotten future.

Before encountering this record, Tucker Zimmerman was completely unknown to me. Born in San Francisco, he was a trained classical composer who abandoned orchestras for personal songwriting. He avoided the Vietnam draft, moving to Rome on a Fulbright scholarship before settling in Belgium as an expatriate. David Bowie famously praised him, yet mainstream fame eluded Zimmerman because he actively chose to reject the commercial music machine. He preferred small European clubs over hollow stardom. Following a tragic house fire in early 2026, this breathtaking final collaboration with producer Nick Holton serves as an otherworldly monument to a hidden American legend.

If his stunning 2024 collaboration with Big Thief, Dance of Love, was the unexpected third act that finally brought the octogenarian songwriter into the light, Dream Me A Dream arrives as a deeply poignant, cosmic epilogue. Listening to this posthumous set feels like unearthing a weathered tape reel decades from now - carrying the same sparse, stark weight as Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, but refracted through a lens of surrealist, avant-garde folk. Recorded in his Belgium garden studio,the noticeably frail Zimmerman's voice possesses a gripping, ancient authority that anchors an otherwise floating, electronic dreamscape.The album functions as an intimate, narrative tapestry woven tightly with his wife and muse of over fifty years, Marie-Claire, who tragically passed alongside him.

The record breathes with their shared life. On the breathtaking "Riding Around In My Dreams," Marie-Claire takes center stage, reciting a surrealist, French-accented poem born from her own sleeping mind, punctuated by a wholesome, real-time audio exchange between the couple. Her presence is the emotional heartbeat of the record, directly inspiring the fragile standout "Stay (I Want You To Stay)" - a tender, devastatingly raw cover of a piece originally penned by Zimmerman's dear friend Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief, performed here as a final love letter to his wife.

The tracklist behaves like a journey through the Zimmermans' time and space. The slow, deliberate opener "Sun in Scorpio" pairs atmospheric, ambient synths with unhurried acoustic strums, setting a cosmic tone before giving way to the intimate, banjo-plucked title track. Zimmerman routinely looks backward; "Lovers of Beggar St." serves as a wistful, bohemian memoir of their early days, while the hypnotic, Krautrock-flecked "Rose of Sharon" challenges the carefree philospophy of the 1960s California hippie movement. It balances beautifully against the playful, darkly humorous, Bukowski-referencing "Don't Feel Like Doing Nothing Today."

As the album draws to its conclusion,the hypnotic, cinematic loops and autobiographical detail of "Rooftops of San Francisco" resurface a poem Zimmerman wrote when he was just nineteen. The bluesy swagger and outrageous name-checking of "Cross Walk" closes out an album that cements itself as a profound, circular farewell from an uncompromising master who spent his final moments surrounded by electronic beauty and the love of his life.

Wikipedia

Where Rivers Meet

YOUR BROTHER'S KEEPER & GARY BARTZ

Released 19 June 2026

Brownswood Recordings

*****

A vital, cross-generational meeting of minds that honors jazz tradition while aggressively pushing it forward.

Your Brother’s Keeper is a cutting-edge London collective assembled by visionary drummer and producer Jake Long at the request of Brownswood's creative force, Giles Peterson - a collective that emerged from a musical relationship first established through Long’s band Maisha and developed through several years of performing, touring and recording together.

The album documents a shared approach built on improvisation, listening and collective exploration. The ensemble features a powerhouse lineup of the city's finest contemporary players, including saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael, trumpeter Axel Kaner-Lidstrom, pianist Ali MacSween, bassist Twm Dylan, and percussionist Tim Doyle. For this landmark cross-generational collaboration, they join forces with legendary American alto saxophonist Gary Bartz, a defining voice of spiritual jazz who played with Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Art Blakey before joining Miles Davis during the trumpeter’s electrifying early-1970s period.

Together, they reflect the ongoing strength of London's culturally diverse music scene, demonstrating how the city has grown into a mature, global hub where historical jazz lineages are actively reinterpreted by a new generation. The group's maturity allows them to meet with Bartz on close to equal terms, rather than as a young group in a jam session with a past master.

Released as Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings celebrates its 20th anniversary, Where Rivers Meet is yet another example of the label's reputation as a nursery for world-class music. The album thrives on a free-flowing, exploratory dialogue between Bartz's lyrical, veteran horn lines and the collective's modern British sensibilities.

Opening tracks "Cauldron" and "Ground Loop" slowly unfold from drifting modular synth textures and spacious electronic processing into steady, mesmerizing modal grooves anchored by Long’s sharp percussion. The following trio of tunes - "Eclipse", "Solar Flare"and "Locris" (named for a region in ancient Greece) - present a solid mid-abum showcase for the ensemble's range and dexterity, as Kaner-Lidstrom’s bright trumpet and Carmichael's robust tenor work provide exceptional counterweights to Bartz's authoritative presence. Later, clicking rim-shot percussion and glowing basslines underpin Bartz's free range alto musings in the subdued penultimate track "Petrichor" - a prelude to the album's crowning achievement, and wonderful conclusion "Mantra", a delightful, cinematic vehicle for contemporary spiritual-jazz expression.

Of special note too, is the integration of electronic effects and analogue instruments throughout this album feels seamlessly organic and mature, rather than an overlay or embellishment; and while the record's heavily improvisational and atmospheric nature results in occasional transitions into ambient abstraction, the overall collection is undeniably that of a cohesive ensemble at the top of their game, and correspondingly powerful as a result.

Brownswood Recordings

Press Release incl. Lyrics etc.

Vespers

LIZ LAWRENCE

Released 5 June 2026

Chrysalis Records

*****

A remarkably composed, quietly devastating exploration of loss that replaces the typical anger of grief with profound, articulate emotional clarity.

Lawrence is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who has quietly built one of the most reliable discographies in modern British indie-folk. Initially gaining prominence as half of the electro-pop duo Cash+David and as a touring member of Bombay Bicycle Club, Lawrence shifted focus to her solo career with a string of acclaimed, self-produced albums including 2019’s Pity Party and 2024’s Peanuts. Known for her sharp, observational songwriting and versatile arrangements that shift from quirky indie-rock to stripped-back acoustic folk, Lawrence has established herself as a deeply literate and fiercely independent voice in the contemporary songwriter landscape.

Written in a concentrated three-week burst following the tragic death of her sister Jessie in 2024, Vespers is an absolute triumph of artistic restraint. Moving away from the loud, aggressive, and often male-dominated templates of classic grief records, Lawrence deliberately sought a gentler, more purposeful form of catharsis. The result is an exquisitely paced, 12-track album that honors the permanent rewiring of personal loss without ever collapsing under its own emotional weight.

From the elegant running order to the stark, elegant artwork, every element feels perfectly pitched. Tracks like "Sister" and "Where Did You Go" balance specific, heartbreaking intimacy with universal resonance, relying on clean acoustic foundations and Lawrence’s articulate, unhurried vocal delivery. Rather than hiding behind dense production tricks, pieces like "Mt. Nephin" and "Exploded Into Flowers" let the substantial subject matter drive the arrangements. "The Deepest Blue" captures the essence of her focus: "The deepest blue ... ain't blue enough" , while "A Good One" articulates the universal heartbreak of loss: "... Yeah, we lost a good one / And people talk about her / They say it can't be tru / Well, you better believe it / It'll hit you like a tonne of bricks", while "Thank God For You" and "Heaven Didn't Need Another Angel" need no further elaboration. The instrumental "(coda)" close out this remarkable album whose songs so transcend their underlying sadness that they demand replay. Many of them will surely be chosen to honor the future deceased and to comfort their bereaved siblings and congregations.

This is a deeply moving, beautifully executed record that commands your full attention - a definitive, career-defining work that stands securely as a top-tier release of the year.

Parallel Universe Vol. 1

NATACHA ATLAS, SAMY BISHAI

Released 5 June 2026

Airfono

*****

A seamless intertwining of East and West, oscillating between dystopian cyberpunk, synth-pop, avant-garde electro, and post-Mahragan Arabic hip-hop.

Natacha Atlas (نتاشا أطلس) is an Egyptian-Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music, particularly hip-hop. Her music, which she once termed "cha'abi moderne" (modern folk music), has been influenced by many styles including chaabi, hip hop, drum and bass and reggae. As the voice of the early releases by UK "world fusion" group Transglobal Underground a couple of decades ago, Atlas has deep roots in cross cultural music. But the release of Diaspora (1995) marked the start of a solo career that has now realised nine albums and collaborations with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Nitin Sawhney, Nigel Kennedy, Jean-Michel Jarre, Ibrahim Maalouf, Omar Sosa, and Paolo Fresu. Life partner and longtime collaborator Samy Bishai is an Egyptian violinist, composer, producer, and musical director trained in both Western and Arabic classical traditions. His collaborations include artists such as Tom Jones, Shakira, Basement Jaxx, Seckou Keita, and Carleen Anderson, alongside extensive work as a composer, arranger, and producer.

Parallel Universe - Volume 1 marks the latest collaboration between the pair and it's a seamless, mesmerising (but too-brief) mix of East and West. The artists write that the album was "conceived as the first chapter in a series of forthcoming volumes, Volume 1 opens a broader sonic narrative, fueled by a shared fascination with alternate timelines."

The atmospheric opening track "Zac12" sets the tone, with Atlas' timeless Arabic vocals soaring, echoed, sampled against rhythmic intermittently-glitchy pulses of electronica. and percussion. Unchanging Game commences in English, to a gently-paced rhythm that will delight fans of classic Portishead and Massive attack, but this music more accurately derives from Mahraganat music, an Egyptian blend of hip-hop and dance music that emerged, notoriously, in the wake of the Tahrir Square uprising in 2011.

And Atlas doesn't dodge such association, the album's highlight (and first single) is the final track "Somoud" which she describes as"a strong anti war statement (that) unfolds as a slow-burning uprising". The song opens with a poem by the Egyptian poet Tuup: "Don't be fooled, Bombs will never be weapons of peace - Bombs are weapons of war.". Atlas describes the piece as "vacillating between classical Arabic melodic lines, quarter-tone distorted violins, and hypnotically pulsing electronic beats. A rising choral chant evokes collective resistance, turning the song into both lament and call to consciousness. More art piece than conventional single, Somoud channels fortitude in the face of violence - a refusal to be silenced, and a reminder that resilience itself can be an act of defiance."

The same might be applied to the album in its entirety. Bring on Volume 2!

Where Do You Come From?

VIKA & LINDA

Released 5 June 2026

Mushroom Music

*****
A deeply personal masterpiece from Australia's most treasured vocal duo, stepping fully into their own spotlight as magnificent songwriters to deliver a career-defining testament to identity, ancestry, and resilience.

Vika and Linda Bull first captured Australia’s heart in 1988 as the powerhouse, show-stealing backing vocalists for Joe Camilleri’s bands Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons and The Black Sorrows. Since launching a brilliant solo career, they have enriched the cultural backbone of the nation’s music scene, weaving their rich Tongan heritage into soul, gospel, and rock. In 1994, their debut achieved platinum status and their peerless vocal magic has subsequently earned them dual OAMs, ARIA awards, and a Music Victoria Hall of Fame induction. Releasing new albums every few years, the sisters maintained a loyal following while continuing to back local rock royalty. After long absence from recording, the duo released their sixth studio album "Sunday (The Gospel According to Iso)" in 2020, a COVID-era release that captures their practice of singing one gospel song each Sunday morning for their followers on social media. However the turning point in their career is arguably the release of an album of original songs the following year: of "The Wait" (2021) Linda Bull said "It took us three times to make this record, it kept getting delayed and we've been waiting 19 years to make this record... waiting for more songs. Waiting for the right opportunity."

On Where Do You Come From?, the Bull sisters deliver their absolute finest, most revealing body of work yet. For nearly forty years, they have lent their peerless voices to the narratives of other legendary writers. Here, they emerge as commanding songwriters in their own right, reflecting deeply on identity, motherhood, aging, and grief. The production is timelessly clean and beautifully organic, allowing their legendary vocal interplay to take absolute center stage. In addition, the sisters are superbly supported here by the cream of the Australian musicianship - a legacy of their extended career as collaborative vocalist, particularly with former Hunter & Collectors mainstay Mark Seymour who shares credits as"lyricist" and/or "composer" on many songs.

The contrast is exactly as critic Ed Nimmervoll memorably observed a quarter-century ago: "Vika strong and soulful. Linda soft and gentle".

Echoing this sentiment, this album too has two distinctive song sequences - a soaring, run of seven songs that open the set, and a slower group of four that close it.

To begin, the opener "Little Baby", "Waiting On The Kid", "I Hit Pause" and "Where Do You Come From?", "What A Beautiful Thing" are all personal, strong and engaging. These songs showcase the duo's mature songwriting - in subject choice, imagination and execution - and are delivered with a heartfelt soulfulness that never feels forced. The dark humor of "I Hit Pause" delivers a taboo-breaking anthem with the startling clarity of a Courtney Barnett or Chrissie Amphlett and the title track call out the casual racism experienced in a nation of immigrants. "What A Beautiful This" offers a bluesy change of pace, setting the tempo and stage for the piano-led intro to before "That's How I Pray" the album's "take-it-to-church" centrepiece - a monument to the sister' vocal and emotive prowess. Then, the stirring anthem-like "Bliss" develops the powerful internal momentum of an approaching locomotive, before finding its eventual stop.

The group of four songs that close the album are set to a slower pace and develop a more subdued, reflective mood. "The Boy With A Broken Wing" recalls the futility of a past relationship', while "The Imp of The Perverse" seems to refer to the terror of domestic violence and"Return to the Sea" considers mortality itself, in an ancestral setting. Finally, the haunting "The Boats" brings the album to a poetic, enigmatic conclusion.

"Where Do You Come From?" is a stunning, ambitious triumph of artistic development - proof that their evergreen delivery and legendary sibling harmonies are only growing more potent with time.

Vika & Linda Home Page

Belladonna Nocturne

DANIEL LANOIS

Released 19 June 2026

Red Floor Records

*****

A showcase of adventurous, ambient dub in which composition, production and performance create an intoxicating sonic wonderland.

Mention Daniel Lanois, and most music fans immediately picture the massive, landmark soundscapes he constructed for rock royalty like Bob Dylan, U2, and Peter Gabriel. He is the legendary architect behind world-shifting masterpieces like The Joshua Tree and Time Out of Mind. Yet, what separates Lanois from mere hit-makers is his restless, uninterrupted artistic arc. Over a career spanning more than half a century, he has continuously balanced giant studio productions with incredibly personal, daring independent experiments, routinely stepping behind his own mixing desk to reshape the boundaries of ambient music on his own terms.

Listeners expecting the rootsy, thumping rock dynamics of Daniel Lanois' iconic production work will find themselves in entirely different, uncharted terrain here. Belladonna Nocturne arrives as a moody, cinematic sequel to his 2005 instrumental gem Belladonna, proving that his enquiring mind and immense production savvy remain completely untouched by time. This is a masterfully crafted night-album - deeply transportive, cool-headed, and intensely adventurous.

The record confidently maps out its own rules right from the opening notes. The brief intro "Cap Negre" sets a mellow, spacious tone before effortlessly melting into the jazzy, abstract drift of "At the Foot of the Skyway Bridge", generating a beautifully hazy midnight atmosphere. Lanois displays his signature curiosity across every arrangement:"Inside the Walls of Puebla" adds a rustic, Latin flair over knocking percussion, while the resonant piano on "Snow Lake" is so beautifully manipulated and texturally treated that it's immersive depth seems to expand far beyond its brief duration,though its mood is extended by three mid-alum vignettes - "Marionette", "Canadian National" and "The Black Sea" in which percussion, rhythm and subtle melody are manipulated to add mystery, depth and continuity.

Most pieces are short, less than 3 minutes in duration but more time is given to "Advent", the album’s true crown jewel, which is more intense: an experiment in which tumbling drum lines clash with heavily processed guitars via sharp, unexpected jump cuts. It builds a chilling, palpable tension that reaches a spectacular peak when the wordless, ethereal wail of longtime collaborator Emmylou Harris floats out of the sonic void. This marks a pivot point in the set, as the distorted, mind-blurring loops of "Warp Sustain", "The Crossing" and "Temple Drums" take the listener deep into Lanois' abstract, sonic world.

As if a storm has passed, the soothing, hypnotic downtempo groove of "Steel Mill," transports the listener to calmer shores on waves of blissful deep house synths - another reminder of the potency of Lanois production skills. Finally, "Silver Orchestra 2"and "Early Days" provide a calming denouement following a thoroughly engaging journey.

"Belladonna Nocturne" shows that decades into his career, Lanois' artistic arc remains uninterrupted and as thrilling, original, and deeply compelling as ever.

Daniel Lanois Official

Ambrose Akinmusire Official

Spatial, No Problem

LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY, MOUSE ON MARS

Released 5 June 2026

Domino

*****

A brilliant sonic collision mapping the final artistic statement of a reggae giant onto a shape-shifting German electronic foundation.

The late Jamaican visionary Lee "Scratch" Perry (1936 - 2021) will be remembered as a towering pioneer of dub and reggae, whose eccentric studio alchemy reshaped the global musical landscape. Mouse on Mars - the Berlin-based electronic duo of Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma - possess a matching reputation for avant-garde, hyper-detailed production, driven by a signature joyful experimentation and tireless sonic curiosity. Recorded over an intense three-day session at the duo’s Paraverse Studio in December 2019, less than two years prior to Perry's passing, this collaboration unites two distinct generations of sonic innovators mutually pushing boundaries.

Spatial, No Problem refuses to settle for standard reggae tropes - and avoids the well-worn trap of posthumous pastiche. Instead, Mouse on Mars construct a perky, shifting sandbox of krautrock motoriks, eerie ambient passages, and sudden New Orleans horn bursts, perfect to frame Perry’s delightfully erratic, late-life vocalizations.

Immediate highlights like "Hallo Shiva" carry a driving, early-2000s dance-punk pulse, while the sweeping, Arabic-style horns of the ambitious eight-minute "Spatialee" lean into glorious eccentricity. Throughout the tracks, Perry's spiritual incantations and spontaneous humor float beautifully atop dense, intricate instrumentation. The album hits a thrilling climax on the ominous, bass-heavy "Fire Dali". Easing its ominous, heavy tension, "Yayaya" adds layers of self-deprecatory humor and "To The Recue" brings playful, funky grooves before dissolving into the ironically jazz-tinged gravity of the finale"State Of Emergency," its third-line brass atmosphere hosting Scratch’s parting laments. Closing out on a vignette of his genuine, hearty laughter, the record serves as an exquisitely fitting, remarkably vibrant final curtain call.

Make A Sound

ODED TZUR

Released 6 March 2026

Sky River Music

*****

A profoundly humane protest album that confronts the devastation of war through collective improvisation, transforming grief, empathy and fragile hope into music of extraordinary emotional clarity.

Israeli-born saxophonist and composer Oded Tzur has forged one of contemporary jazz’s most distinctive voices, integrating modern improvisation with concepts drawn from Hindustani music and a deeply vocal approach to phrasing. Recorded amid the continuing violence in the Middle East, Make A Sound emerges from a profoundly personal place: the perspective of a young parent grappling with loss, fear and responsibility. Conceived as a free-improvisation session, the album channels Tzur’s belief that music can still serve as an act of solidarity and moral witness.

Described by Tzur as a protest album, Make A Sound is less an expression of outrage than a search for shared humanity amid catastrophe. The ensemble's improvisations unfold as acts of listening, with Gilad Hekselman’s guitar, Joe Martin’s bass, Nasheet Waits’ drums and Vanraj Shastri’s sarangi creating an atmosphere of collective reflection rather than individual display. Grief and anguish are ever-present, yet the music continually reaches toward connection. Few recent jazz recordings so convincingly embody the idea that hope survives not through certainty, but through communion itself.

We have not found a public explanation for inclusion and dedication of Henry Mancini's “Moon River (for Shai)”, but its placement within the album strongly suggests a deeply personal function. In the context of a record responding to war, trauma and the loss of human connection, the choice of the familiar standard Moon River feels significant. Its gentle melody carries associations of innocence, comfort and longing, offering a moment of tenderness amid the album’s heavier emotional terrain. The piece reinforces the album's central message: against the dehumanising forces of war, the most meaningful response may be to preserve empathy, memory and care for one another.

Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2

IBRAHIM MAALOUF

Released 12 June 2026

Mister Ibe

****-

An ecstatic, borderless celebration of brass - embracing a cultural legacy via the vibrant, microtonal possibilities of the four-valve quarter-tone trumpet.

Born in war-torn Lebanon and raised in Paris, Ibrahim Maalouf has evolved from a prodigy of classical baroque trumpet into a global icon of cross-cultural jazz fusion. A two-time GRAMMY nominee, Maalouf’s identity is anchored by a unique family legacy: the quarter-tone trumpet, an instrument invented by his father, Nassim Maalouf.

Dissatisfied with the boundaries of Western classical music, Ibrahim has spent his career using his father's technical marvel to effortlessly bridge the divide between Middle Eastern modal traditions and Western groove, collaborating with icons ranging from Quincy Jones to Jon Batiste, Angelique Kidjo, Toumani Diabaté, Trombone Shorty and more.

Trumpets of Michel-Ange Vol. 2 is a joyous musical celebration and an educational triumph. It advances Maalouf’s initiative to institutionalize his father's four-valve trumpet, utilizing an entire ensemble of musicians trained at his newly formed academy. The result is a staggeringly vibrant, live-in-studio record that explodes with pan-Mediterranean and global energy.

Maalouf handles foreign musical languages with the slick dexterity of a modern Herb Alpert, safely walking the fine line between rich tribute and pastiche. The album is a breathless, rhythmic tour that incorporates everything from Cuban boleros of "Oui, Je Le Veux" (featuring pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba) to the Spanish flamenco textures of "Chasing The Sun", New Orleans brass syncopation , and Lebanese dabke wedding rhythms (Layla's Wedding").

While the relentlessly upbeat tempo - especially of the title track - leaves little room for Maalouf's signature melancholy, the sheer communal ecstasy and staggering virtuosity of the record make it an undeniable triumph of global fusion.

Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings

MARY HALVORSEN,AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE

Released 12 June 2026

Nonesuch Records

****-

A startling, yet intimate dialogue in which technical mastery dissolves into pure intuition, reshaping the boundaries of the trumpet-guitar duo.

Guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire are generational pillars of avant-garde jazz, each coming off monumental 2025 triumphs: Halvorson’s About Ghosts and Akinmusire’s honey from a winter stone earned global critical rapture, including 4 star reviews from this site. Though they have shared informal creative spaces since 2009, this Nonesuch debut marks their first successful studio convergence. Halvorson is celebrated for her signature pitch-bending, angular fretwork, and fluid architectural chordal structures. Akinmusire is revered for his chameleonic expressive range, combining pristine, classical-tinged lyricism with raw, vocalized experimentalism. Together, they represent the absolute vanguard of modern improvised music.

Slo-Mo Neon Luminate Hoverings is a masterclass in deep listening and spacious adventure, sparked by a last-minute creative curveball: Halvorson gifting Akinmusire a l just five minutes before rehearsal. Recorded immediately following a performance, the nine-track set beautifully balances stark vulnerability with explosive abstractions. The journey opens with the poignant, blues-tinged balladry of "Prelude in the Ash," before "This Vivid" abruptly shatters the peace with fractured electronic delay, flanged chords, and a visceral tempest of looped screams. Single "Soundcheck" highlights their dry humor and razor-sharp call-and-response, while the expansive, closing title track stretches into cinematic, pillowy dimensions that gently dissolve into silence. It is a breathtakingly confident, unhurried collection that feels less like a performance and more like an aesthetic revelation.

Mary Halvorson Official

The War and Treaty - The Story of Michael and Tanya

Where Rivers Meet

YOUR BROTHER'S KEEPER & GARY BARTZ

Released 19 June 2026

Brownswood Recordings

****-

A no-holds-barred, rootsy collection that strips away coded storytelling to reveal the raw emotional core of a tumultuous relationship.

Husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter began performing as Trotter and Blount before finding their definitive identity. Their unique name emerged during a tense domestic argument regarding name changes; Tanya de-escalated Michael’s PTSD-fueled frustration by gently noting, “This is not the war, let's come to a treaty.” As pioneering Black artists in Americana, they have matured into essential figures who fearlessly bridge classic southern soul with contemporary country. By dismantling industry boundaries, their artistic evolution centers on a profound shared narrative, turning personal vulnerability into a powerful cultural statement that commands broad mainstream respect on their own terms.

Following the sprawling textures of Plus One, the duo's fifth album, The Story of Michael and Tanya, marks a deliberate and welcome return to cohesive storytelling. Relocating to Atlantic Outpost, the pair strips back the overprocessed radio-ready pop production that hindered their previous effort. Instead, they lean heavily into the organic convergence of gospel-infused soul and country roots. Tracks like 'Don't Say Goodbye' and 'Reclaim All Of Your Time' beautifully showcase their unmatched vocal interplay, utilizing live instrumentation that allows their voices to breathe. However, the record is not entirely flawless; a few mid-tempo tracks and arrangements feel safe, occasionally falling into predictable chord progressions that underutilize their dynamic range. The inclusion of high-profile guests adds emotional variety but sometimes crowds the intimate, central focus of the couple’s narrative. Ultimately, it is a focused, mature statement that solidifies their unique identity, successfully meeting high expectations without relying on mainstream compromises.

Brownswood Recordings

Late Bloomer

VIMBS MAVIMBS

Released 12 June 2026

La Reserve Records

****-

A patient, texturally rich debut that anchors South Africa’s historic jazz lineages within sophisticated, modern avant-garde arrangements.

Bassist and composer Vimbs Mavimbs (born Thembinkosi Mavimbela) has spent two decades as a quintessential sideman in South Africa's contemporary jazz landscape. An early devotee of bass icon Johnny Dyani, Mavimbela honed his craft alongside titans like Hugh Masekela and Zim Ngqawana, later touring with Abdullah Ibrahim’s Ekaya Big Band. He is a key collaborator within the "New Wave" of South African jazz, pushing boundaries alongside visionaries like Nduduzo Makhathini, Asher Gamedze, and Tumi Mogorosi. A graduate of Johannesburg's Wits University, Mavimbela is currently completing his Master’s degree in Jazz at the prestigious Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (HfMT) in Germany. With a catalogue of almost 20 previous collaborations to his credit, his debut album represents an unhurried, mature statement from a master who has deliberately taken the scenic route to center stage.

Late Bloomer serves as a magnificent counter-narrative to the modern music market's rushed timelines. Anchored by the tight rhythm trio of Mavimbela, drummer Lungile Kunene, and the standout, highly memorable piano work of Teboho Kobedi, the record features an exceptional cast of South African players, including trumpeter Robin Fassie and saxophonist Sisonke Xonti.

Opening track "Chapman's Park" epitomises the young composer's patience and poise: it's a slow build from the start, the work of a mature-already bandleader in control of his own destiny. The tune is brass-forward rolling exercise that showcases the entire ensemble, underpinned by Mavembela's subtle bass lines. His extensive orchestral background shines through in his careful attention to instrumental textures, particularly on the complex "All in or Nothing" and standout "Family Gathering". While the album’s deeply reflective nature occasionally leads to slower tempos, giving rise to periods of prolonged atmospheric stillness, his own robust, highly sensitive bass solo on "One Night in Hamburg" anchors the collection beautifully. What's more the album's three vocal tracks "Better Not To Show", "Chance" and "Ngelosi" balance instantly engaging singing melodies - shared between Zarcia Zacheus and Spha Mdalose - with searching, multi-layered polyphonic structures.

It is a wonderfully executed debut that respects the rich South African jazz catalog while forging a sophisticated, trans-continental sonic identity.

Vimbs Mavimbs Official

Sharada Shashidhar Official

We Dream

LASKECIA BENJAMIN

Released 12 June 2026

Artwork Records

****-

An ambitious, collaborative exploration of community and hope and a confident expansion of Benjamin’s post-pandemic trajectory.

New York alto saxophonist and composer Lakecia Benjamin has built a reputation on a commanding tone that bridges classic acoustic jazz with funk, R&B, and hip-hop. Her career gained significant momentum with the Grammy-nominated Phoenix in 2023 and her 2025 single "Noble Rise." Known for her energetic bandleading and sharp conceptual focus, Benjamin has moved from a rising star to a prominent curator in the contemporary jazz scene. She consistently uses her platform to merge sharp social commentary with expansive ensemble playing, earning her a secure place among the most influential bandleaders of her generation.

Where Phoenix was a taut, personal testament to post-pandemic survival, We Dream shifts its focus outward, opting for a broad, community-driven narrative. Backed by a reliable core rhythm section including pianists Oscar Pérez and Miki Hayama, bassist Elias Bailey, and drummer Jonathan Barber, Benjamin assembles a sprawling cast of guests to explore themes of collective identity.

The record transitions smoothly between stylistic camps. Terence Blanchard’s trumpet lends a somber, cinematic weight to "First Light," while Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah injects a lively Afro-Caribbean swing into "Mi Gente." Benjamin explores harder post-bop territory on "Dream Breaker" alongside tenor saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts, before pivoting to contemporary progressive R&B with vocalists Bilal and Tarriona "Tank" Ball. Hiromi also makes a notable appearance, adding a sharp, retro-funk synthesizer solo to "Flame Keeper."

By stepping into the role of a facilitator, Benjamin occasionally recedes into the background of her own record. However, her incisive, blues-drenched alto playing remains the anchor that keeps this highly varied project cohesive.

Oracles

HELEN SUNG BIG BAND

Released 12 June 2026

Sunnyside Communications

****-

An awe-inspiring, richly-layered big band masterpiece celebrating the transformative power of lineage, mentorship, and authentic creative freedom.

As a classically trained pianist and the eldest daughter of Chinese immigrants, Helen Sung initially operated in a world of strict textual execution. Her trajectory shifted permanently when she was selected for the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance - (now the Herbie Hancock Institute).

Encouraged by jazz giants - Clark Terry, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Wayne Shorter, Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, Herbie Hancock and Sir Roland Hanna - to discover her own compositional voice, Sung stepped away from the classical score to embrace the radical freedom of improvisation.

Over the past two decades, she has flourished into an acclaimed pianist and Guggenheim Fellow. With Oracles, Sung reaches a monumental creative summit, beautifully transitioning from a brilliant ensemble player into a visionary large-ensemble leader.

Oracles is a breathtaking, deeply personal triumph that transforms big band jazz into a vibrant sanctuary of shared humanity. Spurred by Ron Carter’s foundational advice to write her own music, Sung honors her legendary mentors not through sterile museum pieces, but through radiant, living portraits. Under Alan Ferber's precise conducting, the 17-piece orchestra crackles with kinetic brilliance. "Positively C.T." bursts with Clark Terry's mischievous, blues-drenched wit, while the soaring "Wayne's World" captures the majestic, searching cathedrals of sound synonymous with Wayne Shorter. The crowning jewel is the "Pianism" triptych, a stunning concerto triggered by Sir Roland Hanna’s urge to honor her classical roots, which masterfully channels the spirits of Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, and Herbie Hancock. Sung’s arrangements of classics like Shorter's "Diana" and Carter's "R.J." seamlessly complete the record.

Far from a mere history lesson, Oracles is a magnificent statement of unity and creative self-realization.

Potpourri

DEBIT

Released 12 June 2026

NAAFI

***--

A hyper-focused exhibition of rhythmic mutation that showcases impressive technical sound design but struggles to coalesce into a unified album experience.

Delia Beatriz (known professionally as Debit) is a Monterrey-born, New York-based composer, producer, and multidisciplinary researcher who has become a prominent innovator in avant-garde electronic music. Since her 2018 debut Animus, her career has been defined by high-concept sonic exploration. Her academic background in music technology at NYU paved the way for notable collaborations with Teklife’s footwork veteran DJ Earl and tribal guarachero pioneer Javier Estrada, while her 2026 schedule includes high-profile collaborative performances with Dutch sound artist Concepción Huerta and veteran producer Andy Stott. Highly regarded for her research-driven approach- including constructing machine-learning digital models of Mayan wind instruments for 2022's The Long Count - Beatriz remains an essential voice in pushing traditional Latin American percussive rhythms into dialogue with industrial techno and ambient noise.

Following the haunting, ambient archival explorations of 2025’s Desaceleradas, Potpourri sees Debit returning to her foundational dancefloor roots. The album is an explicitly high-velocity affair, aiming to dismantle standard Western house and techno structures by cross-pollinating them with the syncopated, triplet-heavy pulse of Mexican tribal guaracha.

Individually, the tracks are masterclasses in microscopic sound design. The densely compressed mixing style across pieces like "Pero like" and "Tuve suerte" is compelling, scattering overdriven bass kicks, psychedelic acid squelches, and tightly wound percussive bursts into unstable sonic environments. However, by restricting herself to a relatively narrow musical lane, the project begins to suffer from structural monotony. True to its title, the album functions less like a cohesive, narrative-driven LP and more like an intellectual sampler or a curated SoundCloud playlist. Because the structural formula changes very little from track to track, the shock value of Debit’s formidable technique gradually wanes over its 43-minute runtime. It is an undeniable testament to her elite engineering talent, but one that ultimately prioritizes abstract format experimentation over sustained album.

Hope

KUTIMAN, DEKEL

Released 5 June 2026

Siyal Music

****-

Multi-instrumentalist Kutiman couples with vocalist Elran Dekel to construct an elegantly fluid, psych-soul exploration rich in cinematic mid-tempo grooves.

Ophir Kutiel, known professionally as Kutiman, is an Israeli musician, composer, and pioneering video artist who originally gained international acclaim with his viral ThruYOU mashup project. Renowned as a versatile sonic architect, he seamlessly blends psychedelic funk, Afrobeat, and global groove dynamics into a highly expressive cinematic style. His long-term creative partnership with singer-musician Elran Dekel—frontman of the prominent funk outfit Funk'n'stein—has yielded years of intuitive collaboration. Operating from Kutiel’s desert studio, the duo balances improvisational trust with meticulous production, firmly establishing themselves as a major creative force in modern Middle Eastern psychedelic soul and alternative indie R&B landscape today.

On Hope, Kutiman and Elran Dekel refine their long-standing creative bond into a concise, twenty-minute showcase of hazy psych-soul and cinematic alternative R&B. Eschewing the sprawling arrangements that often define his solo projects, Kutiman builds an understated musical backdrop. The title track anchors the record with a warm, comforting progression, while the lovely "Everybody Needs To Be" highlights Dekel’s smooth vocals against a steady, minimalist groove. Track "Take It Easy" introduces a slightly lighter indie touch, and "As You Are" lets hazy instrumentals stretch out naturally.

While the album's brevity leaves some concepts feeling less than fully developed, and the tone unchallenging, its constraint is also its greatest strength. By avoiding over-embellishment, the duo crafts an approachable and focused record that balances warmth with critical composure. It provides a comforting, level-headed collection of mid-tempo grooves that consistently meets expectations and offers a highly welcome musical addition to their growing shared catalog right now.

Rooted in themes of love, clarity and human connection, Hope is a quietly powerful record that captures the ease and depth of a long-standing creative bond.

A Foot On The Ground

SHARADA SASHIDHAR

Released 5 June 2026

Colorfield Records

****-

An adventurous leap into left-field jazz and futuristic grooves, shedding perfectionism to sculpt an exquisite collage of uninhibited self-expression.

A graduate of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, Los Angeles-based vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Sharada Shashidhar has long been an essential voice within the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra community. Following a string of stellar guest appearances with Jamael Dean and Carlos Niño, she broke through spectacularly with 2024’s Soft Echoes, which Gilles Peterson hailed as one of his favorite jazz records of the year. Deeply rooted in spiritual jazz and classical Indian vocal traditions, Shashidhar gracefully bridges the gap between avant-garde jazz and the bleeding edge of the L.A. beat scene.

Recorded over two years with co-producer Pete Min at Lucy’s Meat Market in Eagle Rock, A Foot on the Ground finds Shashidhar completely dismantling her inner perfectionist. Where her debut relied on a fixed band, this stunning follow-up behaves like an organic sonic sculpture, utilizing an elastic cast of brilliant collaborators and non-lexical vocables that favor pure emotional texture over literal lyrics. Shashidhar triumphantly steps forward as a multi-instrumentalist here, anchoring tracks with her own synths, drum machines, pump organ, and the resonant wooden keys of the gyil.

The record strikes an immaculate balance between acoustic intimacy and electronic futurism. The tension on "Reassurance" is utterly riveting, pitting Mark Guiliana’s restlessly complex, splintered drumming against Shashidhar’s comforting, floating vocal affirmations. The title track, "One Foot on the Ground," scales things back into a spare, striking ballad colored by Caleb Buchanan’s acoustic bass, metallic clangs, and a springy scat performance. Elsewhere, "Always Returning" creates a breathtaking whirlpool of art-pop and machine soul that feels like a Thundercat downcast groove filtered through the crystalline lens of Ryuichi Sakamoto.

This is an extraordinarily assured, fiercely independent statement from an artist refusing to flatten her creative universe.

Ruin Everything

LES BIG BYRD

Released 5 June 2026

Chimp Limbs

****-

A tightly disciplined return to structured songwriting that reins in the band’s space-rock indulgences without sacrificing their hypnotic Krautrock pulse.

Formed in Stockholm in 2011, Les Big Byrd has spent over a decade anchoring Sweden’s modern psychedelic rock scene. Fronted by veteran songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Jocke Åhlund (known for his work with Caesars and Teddybears), the four-piece has mastered a highly specific sonic intersection of driving, Motorik Krautrock, expansive space rock, and pop-sensible melodies. Alternating between mainstream stadium-rock status at home and a cult underground following abroad, the band has established a reliable template that uses heavy analog synthesizers, driving basslines, and hypnotic repetitions to create immersive, guitar-driven soundscapes.

Following the highly experimental, instrumental-heavy detour of 2024’s Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain, Ruin Everything finds Les Big Byrd course-correcting back toward a structured, song-focused approach. The shift is reminiscent of their celebrated 2018 benchmark Iran Iraq IKEA, prioritizing concise melodic hooks over endless, open-ended jamming. The album hits its stride immediately with the opening track "Hökvind," a full-throttle slice of space rock powered by a relentlessly driving bassline and shimmering synth layers.

The band’s knack for dystopian atmosphere is on full display during the epic "Big Flood," while "Artificial Sunlight" pairs a classic, steady Motorik beat with Åhlund’s characteristically detached vocal delivery. By capping the tracklist at a disciplined eight songs, the band avoids the fatigue that often plagues psychedelic LPs.

While listeners seeking the wilder, unhinged improvisations of their live sets might find the production a bit too safe, the tighter arrangements ultimately work in the album's favor. It delivers exactly what it intends to: a sharp, highly focused collection of melodic psych-rock that comfortably meets expectations.

Somewhere Good

TARA CLERKIN TRIO

Released 5 June 2026

World of Echo

****-

An enchanting, down-tempo dip into Bristol’s jazz-tinged avant-garde, blending smoky trip-hop minimalism with delicate, unpredictable instrumental arrangements.

Emerging from Bristol's vibrant underground, the Tara Clerkin Trio, comprising Tara Clerkin, her partner Sunny Joe Paradisos, and Sunny’s brother, Patrick Benjamin, crafts a distinct brand of hazy, atmospheric experimental music. Since their self-titled 2020 debut single and a string of brilliant subsequent EPs, the group has become highly regarded for their sublime, delicate touch. Borrowing bits from jazz, dub, down-tempo electronics, and classical minimalism, they construct fragile, beautifully insular worlds. Propelled by Clerkin's smoky vocals and wayward clarinet loops, the trio treats pop structures like watercolor paintings, letting genres bleed into one another with remarkable ease and quiet confidence.

With Somewhere Good, the enigmatic Bristol trio lands precisely where their album's title promises. While their 2020 calling card 7-track "single" "What?" established their signature down-tempo instrumentation this, their debut full-length effort, refines their cozy melancholia into a cohesive dreamworld. Opening track "Lake Walk" sets up a comforting, syncopated groove that instantly pulls the listener into this sound-world, only for the brushed, mid-tempo, sad-Sade lament of "Lazy Daisy" to shuffle in with a tired-out singer's reality check. However, the group's compositional patience shines on "Ups and Downs," where, after a the subdued opening, a wandering clarinet pierces the low-register murmurs, gradually awakening bass, piano, and strings. Clerkin's vocals further deepen the album's immense allure, her lyrics drifting like distant smoke against minimalist, trip-hop-influenced backings on pieces like "There Was A Nice Sunset"

The prevailing mood shifts markedly for the final pair of tracks. Paradiso's vocals slide in alongside Clerkin's on "Slow Island," a directly-worded lament for the state of urban development:"Nowhere left for me to go, When space is worth more than gold
Every inch is sold for a pound, It really gets me down, down, down". Finally, closing instrumental "Movin' On" presents an edger, more aggressive and expansive version of the Trio's work than is apparent in the preceding tracks. These tracks are delightful - in turn disarmingly charming and expansively eccentric - but might have been kept over for a second, more extroverted album or EP.

Nonetheless, we're better for having heard them and for the most part this remains a beautifully leveled, and introspective collection that easily meets the high expectations the Trio has amassed, without relying on loud theatrics.

Fatoumata Diawara Home Page

Massa

FATOUMATA DIAWARA

Released 5 June 2026

No Format!

****-

A breathtaking, emotionally raw triumph that seamlessly weaves Western pop architecture with West African grit, reinforcing Diawara's status as global music royalty.

Fatoumata Diawara is a Grammy-nominated Malian singer, songwriter, and virtuoso guitarist whose artistic reach spans continents. Emerging originally as an actress, she revolutionized contemporary Wassoulou folk music with her 2011 debut Fatou. Over the last decade and a half, Diawara has established herself as an elite, borderless collaborator, working alongside legends like Herbie Hancock, Damon Albarn, and Gorillaz, and even becoming the first Black woman to design a signature guitar with Gibson Epiphone. Armed with a striking, sharp vocal register and formidable electric guitar chops, she continuously uses her global platform to confront fierce social issues, from female genital mutilation to the complexities of polygamy.

Massa (“The Eternal”) arrives as Diawara's most profoundly personal and authoritative work to date. Co-produced alongside her long-time creative ally, French pop icon -M- (Mathieu Cheddid), the 12-track record pulls off a miraculous balancing act: it embraces a slick, commercially confident global pop aesthetic without ever diluting the raw, subcontinental West African identity at its core.

Rather than treating traditional Malian instrumentation as static window dressing, Diawara and Cheddid use pentatonic scales and Mandinka rhythms to anchor heavy blues and rock inflections. The stellar single "Sigui" is a perfect example, pairing hypnotic, driving grooves with blistering guitar lines to tackle the quiet corrosion of polygamous family dynamics. Elsewhere, the album dives into deep reservoirs of grief and resilience. On the spare, shattering "Denko," sung in Bambara, Diawara delivers a quiet but devastating social critique regarding the isolating burdens faced by mothers of disabled children.

What places Massa on a higher tier than her previous records is the sheer gravity and patience of her voice, which carries the weight of a lived philosophy. It is a masterfully executed, zero-compromise record that captures an artist at the absolute peak of her powers, effortlessly bridging heritage and modern stadium-ready pop.

El Hajar

DUDU TASSA, THE KUWAITIS, YAAKOV NASHAWI

Released 5 June 2026

Dudu Tassa / World Circuit

****-

An electrifying, deeply poignant resurrection of forgotten Iraqi-Jewish masterpieces, beautifully expanded into a modern, groove-heavy masterpiece of Middle Eastern psych-rock.

Dudu Tassa is one of Israel's most formidable rock icons - famously supporting Radiohead on their 2017 USA tour - but his most vital cultural work lies in excavating his own bloodline. He is the grandson of Daoud Al-Kuwaiti, who, along with his brother Saleh (The Al-Kuwaiti Brothers), dominated Baghdad's airwaves between the 1930s and 1950s. Once courted by royalty, the brothers' legacy was systematically erased from Iraqi history books after their emigration. Backed by his powerhouse band, The Kuwaitis, Tassa bridges generations. For this project, they collaborate with Iraqi vocalist Yaakov Nashawi, whose throaty, passionate microtonal deliveries breathe stunning authenticity into the family’s archival repertoire.

Originally released in 2019 and brilliantly reissued as a expanded Deluxe Edition, El Hajar ("The Exile/The Forsaking") is a breathtaking exercise in cultural restoration. Rather than preserving these decades-old Arabic compositions in museum glass, Tassa, co-producer Nir Maimon, and vocalist Yaakov Nashawi set them on fire with buzzing modular synths, thundering basslines, and ragged, desert-rock electric guitar stabs.

The title track El Hajar achieves an ache that few Western arrangements could ever hope to replicate, shifting fluidly through complex quarter-tone tunings. Nashawi’s vocals on Al Hilwa W’al Murra crackle with historic weight, supported beautifully by backing vocals from Tassa’s own mother, Carmela.

What makes this Deluxe Edition indispensable is the inclusion of the "Reimagined Version" of the title track, which leans into hypnotic, dub-inflected electronics. It is a stunning, open-hearted triumph that effortlessly transforms historical exile into contemporary ecstasy.

Dudu Tassa WIkipedia

Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet

LAURENCE PIKE

Released 29 May 2026

Balmat

****-

A magnificent, illusionary thought experiment that effortlessly dissolves boundaries separating acoustic avant-garde jazz improvisation from clinical, deeply moving electronic minimalism.

Laurence Pike has spent over two decades anchoring the absolute vanguard of the Australian and international experimental music scenes. Best known as the hyper-creative rhythmic engine behind visionary outfits like the electronic-rock trio PVT, the spiritual jazz-drone collective Szun Waves, and post-punk icons Liars, Pike has quietly built an exceptional reputation as a solo multi-instrumentalist. Based in Sydney, his artistry rests on a highly intuitive approach to percussion, utilizing his drum kit to dynamically play and trigger modular synthesis simultaneously. He represents the rare, uncompromised modern musician who treats the studio space as a playground for limitless genre-fluidity.

Despite what the evocative title might imply, there is no physical ensemble here. Instead, Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet finds Pike constructing a phantom quintet entirely out of his own imagination, drumsticks, and reactive circuitry.

He describes his approach as follows: “My loose concept was: What does music sound like when the expectations of late capitalism are removed from it? How might a jazz musician from an idealised culture of the future, or even another world, utilise musical language when the conventions of style and marketing are no longer a factor in music making?”

That inquiry, he says, connects to his “guiding principle: that the purpose of music is to access something bigger than the individual, and reveal a sense of possibility and freedom in the world to the listener. To create an understanding that the future can be something other than what we imagined or expect, even unconsciously.”

Backed by sparse, beautifully selective contributions from pianist Novak Manojlovic and saxophonist Ben Lerner, Pike coordinates an extraordinary conversation between human breath and digital soundscapes. Tracks like "Guardians of Memory", "502 Bad Gateway" and "Ever Given" move with profound, organic unpredictability. By mapping the velocity of his live percussion directly to warm synthesizer pads and shifting ambient textures, Pike bypasses the rigid grids of typical electronic loops.

The result is a deeply rewarding, nocturnal masterclass in spatial awareness and electroacoustic freedom. It beautifully honors the historical lineage of late-70s ECM catalog ambient jazz while pushing firmly into the future.

Brown Spirits Vol #1

BROWN SPIRITS

Released 1 October 2017

Re-released 22 May 2026

Soul Jazz Records

****-

Brown Spirits Vol #2

BROWN SPIRITS

Released 17 October 2020

Re-released 22 May 2026

Soul Jazz Records

****-

Brown Spirits Vol #3

BROWN SPIRITS

Released 17 April 2020

Re-released 22 May 2026

Soul Jazz Records

****-

An exhilarating, analog-infused trilogy tracking an engaging underground progression from heavy motorik grooves to explosive, free-jazz space-rock.

Their label's website publicity describes Brown Spirits as "a super-heavy psychedelic three-piece band from the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia", who plays "raw energetic super-charged psychedelic rock heavily influenced by krautrock, space rock, free-jazz and deep funk music from the 1970s that gives them a truly unique and highly-addictive sound." They add that "The group record and mix their own music to ¼-inch analogue tape at home maintaining a strictly DIY-ethic. Brown Spirits are Tim Wold, Agostino Soldati and Ash Bushcombe." The group's "Brown Spirits" trilogy was originally released from October 2017 to April 2020 in long-deleted, very short run-editions.

Examining these three resurrected volumes reveals a phenomenal, unified musical narrative arc. Vol. #1 eases listeners into the group's sonic world with "Lysergic Library," an easy-on-the-ear motorik drum and bass shuffle built around melodic organ and soaring guitars. "Kaiser-Panorama" follows, punching harder with distorted guitars and a funky rhythm, a notch more intense than its predecessor. "Flying and Falling" presents a wall of echo, distortion, and psychedelia before "The River Ain't For Flowing" settles the mood - a melodic, funk-led piece whose easy pace is punctuated by pulses of percussion and high-pitched threads of feedback. The pieces that follow - "Xan With Red," "Back To Atoms," and "Another Vintage Phase", present variants of this vocabulary. However, the first album's highlight is kept for its two-part conclusion, "Precursor" and "Optokinetic Response", the latter a rapid-fire, optical-tracking masterpiece of repetitive drumming and hypnotic keyboard riffs.

As the trilogy advances into Vol. #2 (featuring standouts like "Honorable Discharge" and "Mutations"), the trio's ensemble musicianship tightens into a fiercely telepathic lockstep, leaning harder into muscular 1970s deep funk breaks. By the time the arc reaches its grand finale on Vol. #3, the narrative completely fractures into the outer cosmos. Tracks like "Converge Collide" and "Bakelite Dashboard" show the band confidently trading their tighter krautrock structures for sprawling, explosive free-jazz experiments and unhinged space-rock jams. It is a thrilling document of a band blowing past their own boundaries.

Brown Spirits Official

The Endless Dance

HANNAH PEEL, BEIBEI WANG

Released 22 May 2026

Real World Records

****-

A vibrantly uninhibited, cross-cultural playground in which ancient seasonal philosophy dissolves seamlessly into modular synths, kinetic techno, and free-flowing sonic ritual.

Northern Irish composer and producer Hannah Peel (Mercury Prize and Emmy nominee) joins forces with pioneering Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang for an extraordinary cross-cultural dialogue. Having first crossed paths on Manchester Collective's 2023 album Neon, the duo's immediate improvisational chemistry sparked a five-day session at Real World Studios. Peel brings her signature headphone-dreamscape wizardry, balancing dense modular synths, vocals, and prepared piano. Wang counters with an expansive multi-textural arsenal, utilizing everything from traditional Chinese bamboo clappers and temple bells to kitchen rice bowls and a jawbone instrument. Guided by producer Mike Lindsay, they effortlessly deconstruct the boundaries between organic tradition and electronic futurism.

Loosely structured around the 24 solar terms of the traditional Chinese calendar, The Endless Dance is a joyful, highly tactile exploration of nature's cyclical patterns. It deliberately avoids self-serious mysticism, favoring spontaneity and playfulness. The record kicks off with "Wild Geese Arrive," featuring water percussion and looping marimbas - initially captured as a warm-up before the duo even realized the tape was rolling - layered with the breathy overtones of Hyelim Kim's traditional daegeum flute and Peel's accidental hiccups turned into rhythmic samples.

The energy pivots dynamically from the ambient minimalism of "Grain Rain" to fiercely kinetic workouts. "Awaken the Insects" relies on a powerful, rap-like duet between Wang's childhood tongue-twisters and punchy bamboo clappers (kuai ban), while "Mantis vs Horse" and "Offerings to the Beast" build intense, hypnotic grooves out of clanging metal chimes and driving, stuttering techno kick drums. Producer Mike Lindsay deserves immense credit for sharpening these raw, fully improvised sessions into cohesive, immersive spaces that favor endless, unresolving harmonic flow over cinematic drama. It is a wonderfully unpredictable, mentally demanding, but humorous and deeply human record that rewards any listener who engages with its pure creative freedom.

Hannah Peel Official

Beibei Wang Wikipwedia

ACTION REACTION

HORATIO LUNA

Released 22 May 2026

La Scape Records

****-

A masterclass in rhythm that seamlessly dissolves the artificial boundaries separating improvisational jazz from the steady pulse of house music.

Horatio Luna is the moniker of Melbourne/Naarm-based bassist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Henry Hicks. affectionately dubbed the "Jazz Doof Daddy" or the "Ace of Bass," Hicks has positioned himself at the vibrant epicenter of Australia's contemporary jazz-fusion movement. Known for his elastic, infectious basslines and a genre-blurring approach to production, he treats jazz as a living, danceable language. Following his 2020 debut full-length Yes Doctor, Hicks spent years hyper-focusing his signature "jazz house" aesthetic, eventually cementing his status as one of the southern hemisphere’s most compelling rhythm-driven innovators.

Recorded across two Melbourne studios between 2022 and 2025, Action Reaction represents the most cohesive and luminous evolution of Horatio Luna's sound to date. The record catalogues experiences in composition and in living. Voicemail messages from these years surface throughout, fragments of a scene mid-pulse. Where his debut leaned into darker, smoky club textures, this record steps directly into the sunlight. Trading shadows for crystalline synths, vibrant horn sections, and driving funk arrangements, tracks like "Spicy" and "Porto Banga" overflow with a brilliant, golden warmth. Intricate live percussion and tight rhythmic interplay anchor the record's fluid jams, while a series of brief voicemail interludes float over the music like fragments of a scene caught mid-pulse. It is a record profoundly fascinated by dualities: structure versus spontaneity, calculation versus instinct.

"The record is a continuation of my exploration into the musical dualities: jazz and house, improvisation and composition, structure and spontaneity, whilst trying to weave these opposing forces into a danceable yet abstract listening experience." says Luna

By treating the dancefloor as a temple for improvisation, Luna beautifully resolves these opposing forces into an abstract, deeply satisfying, and completely un-skippable listening experience.

Tombouctou 52 (EP)

TRIO BAMBARAOUI, CHRISTER BOTHEN

Released 15 May 2026

Prisma Music

****-

A deeply hypnotic cross-continental collaboration that honors centuries-old Moroccan spiritual traditions with a masterclass in rhythmic devotion.

Trio Bambaraoui is a Moroccan / Malian / German ensemble dedicated to preserving the ritualistic vocal, percussive, and string dynamics of traditional Gnawa music. They comprise - M’allem Aziz Arradin (guimbri, vocals), Karamogo Boubacar Samaké (donso n’goni, vocals), Said Belhaj (guimbri, donso n’goni), Håkan Wirestrand (keys), and Joel Wästberg (drums). They are joined by Christer Bothén, a towering figure in Swedish jazz and world-fusion since the 1970s. Bothén’s pedigree is staggering: he famously studied the doso n'koni (the West African hunter's harp) in Mali in 1971, teaching it to legendary jazz trumpeter Don Cherry during his Organic Music Society era, before traveling to Marrakech to master the guinbri (the 3-stringed North African bass / lute). Having anchored legendary Swedish Afro-jazz outfits like Archimedes Badkar and Bengt Berger's Bitter Funeral Beer Band, Bothén brings over fifty years of deep-rooted, respectful immersion in West and North African musical structures to this project.

The greatest asset of Toumbouctou 52 is its refusal to modernize, slick up, or otherwise dilute its source material for Western dancefloors. Rather than treating Moroccan folk music as an exotic texture to be pasted over jazz chord changes, this Swedish/Moroccan meeting operates on absolute fidelity to the ritualistic, healing foundations of the Gnawa tradition.

Across six expansive tracks (that run this "EP" to an album-worthy 41 minutes), the record focuses strictly on the acoustic and spiritual interplay of its components. Driven by the low, rubbery buzz of the guimbri and the interlocking, metallic clatter of qraqeb (iron castanets), tracks like "Sibiri" and "Djina Moussou" achieve an authentic, trance-inducing velocity. The vocal call-and-response dynamics are raw and unpolished, capturing the communal gravity crucial to this music. Bothén blends into the framework flawlessly; his contributions feel entirely subservient to the ensemble's collective groove rather than acting as a soloistic jazz intrusion. While the uncompromising devotion to repetition and traditional structure means the album offers few surprises for casual listeners, it stands as an authentic representation of Gnawa that respects the integrity of its cultural roots.

Christer Bothen Facebook

Prisma Music

Wikipedia(Gnawa Music)

Soundcloud

Rinse and Repeat

MOSAIC

Released 15 May 2026

Mosaic

****-

A vibrant, utterly unpretentious masterclass in collective joy that proves Sydney’s next-gen jazz scene is in incredibly safe, soulful hands.

MOSAIC isn’t your typical rigid jazz ensemble; they function more like a brilliant, sprawling musical democracy. Based in Sydney, this young composer-performer collective treats big-band boundaries as gentle suggestions rather than strict rules. Instead of relying on a single dictatorial bandleader, they crowd-source their creativity, pulling in emerging heavyweights from across state lines - Melbourne and Ipswich included - to build a rich, kaleidoscopic sound. It’s a beautifully collaborative approach that replaces the traditional cutting-contest ego with pure synergy. They play with the kind of relaxed confidence that usually takes decades to cultivate, injecting a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the Harbour City's contemporary scene.

If Jazz has a terrible reputation for taking itself far too seriously, then Rinse and Repeat is an absolute antidote to that stuffiness. Mosaic’s sophomore effort manages to be fiercely intelligent without ever locking the listener out of the room. The record balances intricate, multi-layered horn charts with an effortless, deep-pocket groove that feels remarkably fresh. And, by the way, the band's 2024 debut "Where We Are Now" is well worth the effort too.

A track that perfectly bottles the album’s charm is the first of the albums three extended centerpieces, the magnificent "For Macey," in which guest vocalist Liz Player and tenor saxophonist Elly Blackham lock into a gorgeous, intuitive dialogue that feels like an intimate late-night conversation rather than a rigid performance. "Karazija" the modal piece which follows, provides an opportunity for the ensemble to show its control of mood and complexity, and later "Inertia" adds a sombre interlude to what has by this stage developed into a set of diversity and surprise - the romping brass of "Get the Dogs Out" adds a big-band good-times flavor, as if for good measure. Finally, the two-part closing track "Dewdrops" finishes this delightful record with an extended session of scat singing from vocalist Leah Reinhardt.

There is an infectious, open-hearted warmth running through the entire tracklist; the improvisations breathe naturally, the rhythm section bubbles with life, and the whole affair leaves you feeling distinctly lighter. If this is the future of contemporary jazz in Sydney, sign me up for the repeat cycle.

ASSIKEL

TAMIKREST

Released 15 May 2026

Glitterbeat Records

****-

Glowing with analogue warmth, this hypnotic Saharan rock voyage channels exile and resistance into an urgent, deeply atmospheric masterpiece.

Formed in 2006 near the Mali-Algerian border, Tamikrest- meaning "connection" or "union" - have spent two decades serving as a vital cultural voice for the Kel Tamasheq (Tuareg) people. Initially inspired by the legendary Ishumar guitar pioneers Tinariwen, the core four-piece consists of founders Ousmane Ag Mossa (lead vocals, electric & acoustic guitar) and Cheikh Ag Tiglia (bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, djembe, percussion), alongside Paul Salvagnac (electric guitar, lapsteel, dobro, tumba tumba) and percussionist Cédric Maurel(percussion - calabash, dhol, bendhir, tumba tumba, djembe, tube). Their dynamic music translates the ongoing, escalating Turmoil of their homeland into globally resonant art fueled by a profound love of music.

Recorded live to tape over ten days in Haarlem with engineer Jasper Geluk, Assikel ("voyage") is anm energetic, raw triumph of immediacy. Stripping away modern production sheen for a late 1960s, 16-track analogue machine, the band captures their instinctive live synergy with distinctive clarity. The songs navigate the heavy emotional landscape of assouf - nostalgia and displacement - sharpened by the dire political realities currently facing Mali.

From the pulsing slide guitars of opener "Adagh Oyanted" to the distorted, relentless electric onslaught of "Imanin," the instrumentation seamlessly weaves traditional calabash and djembe with floating lap steel and dubby basslines. The album's emotional peak arrives on "Eillal," a stunning, minimalist collaboration featuring Tinariwen's Ibrahim Ag Alhabib.

Urgent, defiant, yet deeply spiritual, Assikel is a magnificent testament to resilience - and Tamikrest's finest hour.

Spanish Chica

MESTIZA

Released 10 April 2026

Sacro Music

***--

A slickly produced sophomore effort that expands its roster of guest artists but remains ultimately constrained by predictable Ibiza club formulas.

MESTIZA is the Spanish DJ and production duo composed of Belén Jordana and Isabela Bernad. They have carved out a highly visible niche by blending traditional Andalusian flamenco folklore with deep house, melodic techno, and Afro house. Following their 2023 debut Quëreles, the duo's profile has scaled significantly, fueled as much by their music as by a highly stylized, almost cartoonish "Spanish Jessica Rabbit" visual aesthetic. Standing as prominent figureheads in the contemporary "electro-flamenco" movement, their artistic vision remains tightly bound to the high-end Ibiza club scene, tailoring regional folk heritage primarily for international dancefloors.

On Spanish Chica, MESTIZA attempts to deepen their sonic palette by introducing Mediterranean, Arabic, and broader Latin electronic layers alongside an expanded cast of collaborators. On paper, tracks like "Salam" (with its eastern modal textures) and "Culpable De Ná" (featuring traditional flamenco singer Lachispa) promise a more sophisticated cross-cultural synthesis than their debut. Unfortunately, the execution falls short of true artistic transcendence.

While the acoustic instrumentation and raw vocal palmas are beautifully recorded, they are ultimately forced to serve as mere window dressing for standard, repetitive Ibiza "doof-doof" house grooves. Instead of letting the complex rhythms of flamenco or eastern modalities dictate the structural flow, the duo repeatedly defaults to predictable, club-safe basslines and formulaic drops.

While highly functional for a summer residency at Hï Ibiza, (as this YouTube video attests) the album fails to cross over into the realm of genuine musical innovation. Compared to boundary-pushing iconoclasts like Rosalía or Grace Jones, who genuinely dismantle and rebuild genres, MESTIZA’s vision remains tethered to the dancefloor aesthetic, prioritizing commercial club utility over deep stylistic evolution.

MESTIZA

When The City Sleeps

ALEX ISLEY

Released 20 March 2026

Free Lunch Records

****-

An impressive major-label debut that displays unshakeable vocal control and paints a deeply sensual portrait of late-night Los Angeles.

Born in New Jersey and raised in L.A., Alex Isley carries R&B royalty in her veins as the daughter of the Isley Brothers' Ernie Isley. Her pristine, chameleonic musicality is anchored by rigorous classical training under her opera-singer grandmother and a jazz studies degree from UCLA. After a decade of establishing herself as indie-soul vanguard - and lending her uncredited, Grammy-winning background vocals to Kendrick Lamar’s "These Walls" - Isley signed to Free Lunch Agency and following a triumphant 2025 Tiny Desk performance, her first full-length major-label project solidifies her status as modern R&B’s premier architect of dreamy, left-of-center intimacy.

Expanding upon her 2025 WHEN EP, When The City Sleeps is a masterfully sequenced 15-track exploration of love’s duality under the cover of a quiet Los Angeles night. Isley’s superpower is restraint; her feather-light falsetto acts like an emotional scalpel rather than hiding behind vague studio atmosphere. The Camper-produced single "Hands" is remarkably blunt, stripping away any extra instrumentation to focus on a hyper-specific map of touch and physical connection.

The album shines brightest when Isley subverts traditional late-night tropes. On the bouncy, D'Mile-produced "Alone," a slow-burning intro suddenly erupts into crisp, rhythmic hi-hats. Kaytranada stops by to inject a subtle house pulse into "Mic On," while the title track features a flawless, heavenly vocal duet with James Fauntleroy. The single "Sweetest Lullaby" encapsulates the record’s essence: over a delicate, bittersweet acoustic landscape, Isley details a relationship's slow fade, elevating a painful goodbye into something utterly radiant.

This is an effortlessly brilliant, sharply written diary of the late-night hours.

Alex Isley Official