Surprise Chef give new glimpse into upcoming album, Superb, with third single ‘Dangerous’

21 March 2025

Formed in 2017, with a shared love for cinematic soul, funk, and classic film-scores, Melbourne’s Surprise Chef have evolved from a group of friends recording spontaneous funk jams to a globetrotting instrumental force. After three well-received LPs and countless tours, Surprise Chef have a new album on the way. Entitled Superb, their newest offering is set for release on May 16th through Big Crown Records. After immersing themselves re-scoring the 1970s Australian cult classic Wake in Fright, Surprise Chef entered the recording process for Superb with a fresh mindset, embracing a more relaxed, spontaneous approach to this record. Guitarist and songwriter Lachlan Stuckey explains:

“Superb was a real shift in process for us… we care a great deal about the music we make being purposeful and meaningful and that mentality has given birth to a bunch of records we’re really proud of, but also can leave little room for spontaneity. On this record we wanted to embrace a kind of unbridled joy that inspired us when we first started making music. Making Superb showed us that when we’re more relaxed during the process, we get a whole different kind of record out of it.”

While remaining rooted in the band’s signature cinematic soul, Superb is a funky and experimental record that celebrates both musical freedom and unity, with influences ranging from David Axelrod to Timbaland and The Neptunes.

Following two ace singles, the playful and retro-jazz ‘Dangerous’ is another perfect teaser for what’s to come. As Stuckey puts it, “it’s a kind of funky elevator music,” a perfect snapshot of the joy and spontaneity that inspired the album. Take a listen below.

Listen to Sheldon Agwu’s new single ‘Providence’

20 March 2025

Photo: Karolina Wieolcha

Following the tantalizing title track released earlier this month, London-based guitarist, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sheldon Agwu has shared ‘Providence’, the second single lifted from his upcoming debut album Kintsugi. ‘Providence’ offers another transcendent glimpse into Agwu’s album and vision, blending virtuosic guitar with soulful, experimental elements. Expanding on the influences of artists like Andrew Pekler, Jon Hassell, Rick Rubin, and Madlib, ‘Providence’ is a serene and expansive track, dreamy yet emotionally powerful. Listen to it below and look out for the full album on April 11th.

Eli Keszler previews upcoming eponymous album with video for new single ‘Ever Shrinking World’

19 March 2025

Acclaimed New York-based composer and percussionist Eli Keszler will release his highly anticipated self-titled album on May 2nd through LUCKYME. Featuring twelve tracks, the album offers a striking blend of abstract electronic sounds, jazz, and cinematic textures. The album features contributions from singer Sofie Royer and saxophonist Sam Gendel who helped him achieve what he calls a “reverent, almost religious feeling,” created from “tiny fragments.” Keszler’s approach was focused on recontextualization and recombination, allowing the music to flow freely across various genres while maintaining its emotional core. “I aimed to take a feeling and let the music move freely across mediums, materials, and genres”, Keszler says, “allowing it to go wherever it wanted while staying out of its way, gently guiding the process.” This fluidity, he notes, often comes from moments of personal change and transformation, reflected in the album’s dreamlike, noir-inspired atmosphere. He adds:

“The world doesn’t feel so static anymore, does it?” Everything seems raw, nasty, and real in a way I don’t recall experiencing before. And yet, a heart-on-sleeve approach doesn’t suit me either. So here I am, submerged in…whatever this is. Full of feeling, quietly taking it in.”

Ahead of the album’s release, Keszler has shared a video for new track ‘Ever Shrinking World’ directed by Japanese filmmaker Daisuke Hasegawa. The video complements the song’s haunting theme, with Hasegawa describing it as a reflection of a world that has “grown increasingly smaller.” He continues, “The reality unfolding before my eyes is infinitely distant, yet infinitely close. In such a dry world, a man and a shark wander in search of uncertain light. ‘Ever Shrinking World,’ within this diminished world.”

Here’s the video for ‘Ever Shrinking World’.

Yann Tiersen shares new single, ‘Caledonian Canal’, off upcoming album

19 March 2025

Photo: Aurelie Scouarnec

Yann Tiersen has shared ‘Caledonian Canal’, a tender and beautiful new single from his forthcoming album, Rathlin from a Distance | The Liquid Hour, arriving on April 4 through Mute. This instrumental piano piece serves as the closing track of Rathlin from a Distance, the album’s first section, which features eight introspective instrumental pieces inspired by Tiersen’s 2023 sailing tour. ‘Caledonian Canal’ represents a moment of calm and self-reflection before the more urgent tone of the album’s second half, The Liquid Hour. Tiersen describes it as “the last station in our quest for identity,” a place of finding strength and preparing to face what’s coming.

Tiersen explains the significance of this transition:

“This song represents the final phase before the Liquid Hour part of the album, where we find the courage to go out and fight. The calm before the storm.”

The album blends acoustic and electronic elements, reflecting Tiersen’s journey of self-discovery at sea, where he embraced sustainability through slow touring practices. Themes of environmental awareness, personal growth, and political reflection run throughout, making it a deeply emotional and timely work.

Now listen to ‘Caledonian Canal’.

Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke announce debut collaborative album, Tall Tales

14 March 2025

Tall Tales is the newly announced collaborative album that pairs Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and electronic polyglot Mark Pritchard. Germinated gradually across nearly ten years, it marks their first record as a duo. “Mark sent me a large file of MP3s of ideas during lockdown,” Yorke said in a statement. He continues:

“There were so many great ones, I knew straight away that I had to drop what I was doing. It felt very much that I had not been anywhere like this before — both as soon as I put my headphones on and started trying to find the vocals, words and sounds, but also, as it progressed, watching Jonathan respond so freely and spontaneously with all his video and artwork ideas.

It was mental, and I feel lucky to have been involved. I am looking forward to this finally coming out. Tall Tales is very important to me. I hope people get it, and get to hear it!”

Ahead of the album’s release on May 9th through Warp, Yorke and Pritchard have shared a new single called ‘This Conversation is Missing Your Voice’. The track comes with an accompanying video made by Jonathan Zawada. Watch it below.

Amanda Ekery to release fourth LP, Árabe, in May; shares first single ‘Stitching’

13 March 2025
Photo: Ross Wightman

Photo: Ross Wightman

Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Amanda Ekery has announced the release of her fourth full-length album, Árabe, a deeply personal and culturally rich exploration of Syrian and Mexican shared history and identity along the El Paso border. Drawing from her own life, lineage, and the blending of cultures, Árabe is a labour of love that spanned over five years and saw Ekery spend countless hours conducting interviews with her family and members of the Syrian Ladies Club of El Paso, collaborating with Yale SWANA scholar Dr. Mark Eggerman, and exploring the shared migration stories between Syria and Mexico. The album was also shaped by an artist residency she did at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, which has the largest Arab population outside the Arab world.

With music and storytelling intertwined, Árabe delves into an array of themes, “from food, gambling, and evil eyes, to immigration law, biracial identity, and the fraught relationship between immigrant entrepreneurship and workers’ rights.” In addition to the twelve original tracks featured on the album, Ekery’s meticulous research is also reflected in an accompanying essay for each song, offering insight into the story and history behind each track.

Musically, Árabe showcases her diverse influences, including country swing, mariachi, jazz, and improvisation. The album blends different genres, from free jazz to Americana folk, all highlighted by Ekery’s heartfelt lyrics and unique voice. To bring the album to life, she enlisted the help of longtime collaborator Andrew Boudreau on piano, Jess Tsang on percussion, Jhoely Garay on guitar, Emily Johnson-Erday on mandolin, and Hannah Marks on bass.

We’ll have to wait until May 9th for the album’s release but Ekery has already shared the spellbinding ‘Stitching’ as a first single and you can hear it below.