Poppy Ackroyd’s new album, Liminal, out in June

27 February 2026

Photo: Nikita Laganovskis

With nothing but magnificent releases under her belt, it’s no wonder that we’re always excited to hear new music from Poppy Ackroyd. The tremendously talented multi-instrumentalist and composer is back with an intimate new album titled Liminal. Releasing on June 5th through One Little Independent Records, it sees her returning to the violin for the first time since 2019’s Feathers, in addition to also playing the piano. “Melody, harmony, rhythm and texture are all extracted from the physical bodies of the instruments themselves”, describes the press relese, “from bowed and plucked strings to percussive elements.”

Liminal arrives following a period of upheaval and transition. “In the last three years everyone I loved most in the world needed me, all at once,” she explains. “There has been new life and death, heartbreak and many other things that are not my stories to tell. I have also moved across the country to a part of the world I have never lived in before.”

Despite being born out of some turbulent chapters in her life, the album carries an undercurrent of steady determination, and Ackroyd later found herself listening to the album and being surprised by a lightness she hadn’t felt in the studio. “I had such a chaotic few years, but the only way to cope was to allow things to be messy,” she reflects. “Embracing the messy and imperfect but still getting things done. I decided to apply this approach to my music making and I found that I still maintain the same attention to detail but without the pressure, and I fell in love with making music again in a whole new way.”

Ahead of the album’s release, Ackroyd has shared the beautiful and wholly enveloping ‘The Unknown’. The single comes paired with an accompanying video made by Tom Newell. Watch it below.

Vimbs Mavimbs announces debut solo album, Late Bloomer; shares lead single ‘Love Drive’

24 February 2026

Photo: Lerato Pakade

We were lucky to see Vimbs Mavimbs on stage with Asher Gamedze opening sublimely Le Guess Who? in 2022, and it was one of those gigs that always stayed with us. An immensely talented and prolific composer, bandleader, producer, musical director and bassist, Mavimbs has for long been a creative force, collaborating with South Africa’s most celebrated artists across jazz and beyond, both on record and on stages at home and abroad. After two decades of growth, exploration and musical evolution, he is now ready to step into the spotlight with his debut solo album. Entitled Late Bloomer, the record was born from identity, resilience and the beauty of becoming in your own time. The title itself is a statement of patience and purpose. “This album is for whoever listens and thinks, I’m a late bloomer in some way, too,” Vimbs commented. “We all have our times of blooming, and whatever your process may be, my hope is that this music reflects into your world, and that you’re able to bloom wherever you need to be blooming in this universe.”

Late Bloomer will see the light of day on June 12th through La Reserve, and ahead of it Vimbs has already shared its lead single, ‘Love Drive’.  Speaking about it, he says:

“For many years, the heart of a creator has carried a unique weight, the quiet struggle to find a moment of stillness amidst the constant urge to build. This song was born from that very longing; it’s a soft exhale for anyone dreaming of wide-open spaces and the freedom of the road.”

Disarmingly beautiful, spacious and heartfelt, ‘Love Drive’ serves as a stunning introduction to the album. Listen to it below.

Joshua Idehen set to release debut album, I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try

23 February 2026

Joshua Idehen‘s debut album, I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, is nearly here, after over 20 years immersed in London’s poetry scene, and being involved with bands like Benin City, Hugh, Calabashed, The Comet Is Coming, and many more. Arriving on March 6th through Heavenly, the upcoming album marks a new chapter for him. Collaborating once again with Ludvig Parment, the album blends house-infused beats, soaring choirs, and striking and meditative lyrics that reflect on the human condition with both vulnerability and defiance. A cathartic mix of grief, joy, and healing, I Know You’re Hurting, Everyone Is Hurting, Everyone Is Trying, You Have Got To Try celebrates collective strength. “Drawing on friendships, fatherhood, and the redemptive power of music”, as the press release describes, “Idehen creates work that doesn’t shy away from pain—but always points toward light”. On his album, Idehen is clearly saying that we’re all hurting, but we don’t have to face the struggles alone. Joshua comments:

“There’s a likelihood that we might be planting seeds that we won’t get to see harvested…but the planting is good. The planting is just as important as the watering and the tending and the harvesting. We all have to play a part so that we can have some redemption.”

To bring the album to life, Idehen and Parment were joined by a host of friends and collaborators, including writers Leone Ross and Charlotte Manning, and vocalist Amanda Bergman, as well as Pete Fraser on sax and Shabaka Hutchings on flute.

Ahead of the album’s release, Idehen has let loose three singles, ‘It Always Was’, ‘This Is The Place’, and ‘Don’t Let It Get You Down’, each one offering a different perspective, but all united by a theme of healing and hope. The first one is offered with an accompanying video by Prehuman, directed and edited by Jonny Sanders. Check it all out below.


upsammy & Valentina Magaletti announce collaborative album Seismo

21 February 2026

Fluid across a wide spectrum of genres, Valentina Magaletti seems to exist in multiple musical worlds at once. As prolific as she is inventive, the composer, producer and percussionist extraordinaire has announced her first LP of 2026. Entitled Seismo, it saw her team up with Amsterdam-based producer upsammy for an album that redraws the line between acoustic percussion and digital sound. The project began with a commission from the Rijksmuseum, where the duo captured improvised percussive material inside the building’s shifting acoustics. Those recordings became the backbone of a set of electroacoustic pieces shaped by space, air and resonance, which were pushed further as the collaboration evolved on stage. As the press release puts it, it’s “a shiver of mischievous vocal snippets, disorienting rhythms and collapsing sonic architectures.” Across eight tracks, motion is constant, with mallet instruments, both digital and acoustic, forming the core language. Magaletti had this to say about it:

“With upsammy I explored the space between acoustic percussion and digital sound. The equation between presence and absence. Seismo dissolves roles, letting mallets and glitches meet in a shared, unstable, queer landscape.”

We’ll have to wait until April 10th for Seismo to be out through PAN but we can already hear the brilliant and earthshattering ‘Superimposed’. Take a listen below.

Lana Gasparøtti unveils brand new track ‘Let Go’

21 February 2026

Portuguese-Croatian composer and multi-instrumentalist Lana Gasparøtti has just let loose a brand new song, titled ‘Let Go’, following her debut album Dimensions, released last year. A daring leap into uncharted territory, on ‘Let Go’ Gasparøtti introduces a more prominent vocal presence, revealing an intimate and emotional depth hitherto unexplored by her. Drawing on elements of pop while staying true to her jazz roots, Gasparøtti crafted a song that is rich in sonic layers and buoyed by infectious upbeats. The single comes paired with a video, directed by João Catarino and choreographed by Daniel Matos, bringing an extra layer of visual and physical movement to the track. ‘Let Go’ will be tied to a new album and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more details about it. Now listen to it below.

KAU drop first single, ‘cr_eye (restrung)’, from upcoming Unknown Waveforms Restrung EP

20 February 2026

We love KAU, the Brussels-based trio of Andre Breidlid (drums), Matteo Genovese (bass) and Jan Janzen (keys). They have today announced the release of Unknown Waveforms Restrung, a reimagined version of some tracks from their 2025 album Unknown Waveforms. A 3-track EP, due out on March 20th through Sdban Ultra, it features fresh takes on standout tracks like ‘cr_eye’, ‘isle_of_man’, and ‘dive_deep’, now reworked in collaboration with Cologne-based string quartet blu/quartet. These new interpretations reveal new dimensions to the original tracks, merging KAU’s signature electronic textures, infectious grooves, and experimental jazz with lush classical arrangements.

Ahead of the EP’s release, KAU have shared the EP’s first single, ‘cr_eye (restrung)’. Sublime and exhilarating, the track blends the energetic grooves of the original with the delicate and evocative strings of ‘Tränenmeer’, an earlier strings-only version from Unknown Waveforms. Take a listen now.