Stereolab return with new album Instant Holograms on Metal Film after 15-year hiatus

09 April 2025

Photo: Joe Dilworth

Lo and behold, Stereolab are back with a new album following a long hiatus! The revered Anglo-French art-pop band have announced their first new album in fifteen years, Instant Holograms on Metal Film. This long-awaited record features thirteen tracks penned by founding members Lætitia Sadier and Tim Gane, with the current touring lineup of the band – Sadier, Gane, Andy Ramsay, Joe Watson, and Xavi Muñoz – performing on the record. ​Instant Holograms on Metal Film also includes special guest contributions from artists like Cooper Crain and Rob Frye of Bitchin Bajas, Ben LaMar Gay, Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf of Cavern of Anti-Matter, Marie Merlet, and Molly Hansen Read.

To tease the upcoming release, Stereolab sent out to fans a 7″ single featuring ‘Aerial Troubles’ and its instrumental version, accompanied by a wordsearch insert, sparking online speculation and excitement for a new record. Now out in the world, ‘Aerial Troubles’ reaffirms their status as art-pop pioneers, blending krautrock rhythms, French pop influences, and experimental sounds.The single comes with an accompanying video directed by Laurent Askienazy, and you can watch it below.

Instant Holograms On Metal Film is out on May 23rd through the band’s own label Duophonic UHF Disks and Warp Records.

Listen to Max Walker’s new single, ‘Mercurial’, off upcoming album Chronostasis

09 April 2025

Last month, Seattle-born, Los Angeles-based guitarist Max Walker announced the release of his second album, Chronostasis, arriving on May 2nd through Orenda Records.

Following the absorbing, atmospheric and brilliant ‘Petrichor’, Walker is teasing the album again with ‘Mercurial’, the second single from the album, and it’s a completely different beast. The track’s intricate and fierce guitar work and complex rhythmic patterns create an unpredictable and restless energy. Take a listen to ‘Mercurial’ below.

Matthew Herbert and Momoko Gill announce debut collaborative album, Clay

09 April 2025

Photo: Manuel Vazquez

Artist, producer, composer and experimentalist Matthew Herbert and drummer, composer and vocalist Momoko Gill have crossed paths before, debuting a collaboration last year with the single ‘Fallen,’ followed by Gill’s remix of Herbert’s ‘The Horse Is Here.’ Now, they have announced the release of Clay, their first full-length album together, due out on June 27th through Strut. Clay plays with sound in ways that only Herbert and Gill can. Featuring eleven tracks, the upcoming record “treads nimbly between the dancefloor and the more introspective moods of the early hours”, as the press release explains, capturing the kind of balance that makes their collaboration so intriguing. Herbert’s signature style, often transforming the world into his instrument, collides beautifully with Gill’s unique voice and multi-instrumental prowess.

Heralding the release of Clay, Herbert and Gill have shared the lead single ‘Babystar’, a gorgeous track woven with intricate rhythms. Listen to it below.

Resavoir & Matt Gold team up for collaborative album, Horizon

08 April 2025

Photo: Tim Nagle

Exciting news from two of the most exciting musicians out there: Will Miller, the trumpeter, composer, and producer behind Resavoir, who’s worked with SZA, Whitney, Chance The Rapper, and many more, joins forces with multi-instrumentalist and guitarist Matt Gold, known for his work with Makaya McCraven, Greg Ward, Marquis Hill, and Jamila Woods, amongst many others. The two longtime friends teamed up for Horizon, their debut collaborative album set for release on May 23rd through International Anthem. Sprouted from their shared love of ‘60s and ‘70s Brazilian music, particularly their appreciation for the works of guitarist Luis Bonfá and songwriter Milton Nascimento, the pair crafted a sprawling body of work, using nylon string guitar as the base of their collaborative sessions. “Musically, we’re always trying to capture a fleeting moment of infinite expanse, feeling the vastness of things while knowing they’ll always change,” says Gold. “This record keeps the light reflecting on the water just a little longer — our collaborative process running through the backbone of these songs and rippling out in so many beautiful directions.”

Alongside the album announcement, Resavoir and Gold have shared the album’s opener, ‘Canopy’, as the first single. Glowing with serene beauty, ‘Canopy’ is also the first track they composed together. Take a listen now.

Maurice Louca teases forthcoming new album, Barĩy (Fera) برٌِي, with first single ‘El Taalab الثعلب’

08 April 2025

We’re over the moon to know that endlessly talented and adventurous composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Maurice Louca is back with a new album, Barĩy (Fera) برٌِي, set for release on May 30th through Simsara Records. The album’s title originates from the Latin root for “feral”, encapsulating the untamed essence that permeates the compositions. The album features hypnotic polyrhythms at its core, which serve as the foundation for a sound rich in acoustic tonality and vibrant energy. Louca’s use of custom-made microtonal guitars allows for nuanced phrasings that weave through violin, synthesizer, and other instruments to create moments of striking beauty.​ As always, his work is a blend of careful composition and spontaneous collaboration, and this album is no different.

The inception of Fera traces back to a solo performance Louca developed back in 2019. Over a four-year period, the compositions evolved, culminating in recording sessions at a Cairo studio in 2024. Louca reunited with longtime collaborators and invited guest artists, including violinist Ayman Asfour, percussionist and drummer Khaled Yassine, double bassist Rosa Brunello, and co-producer Adham Zidan. Multi-instrumentalist Nancy Mounir and oud virtuoso Hazem Shaheen also contribute to a couple of tracks.

The first taste of Fera comes in the form of the single ‘El Taalab الثعلب’, which features performances by Asfour, Yassine, Mounir, and Brunello. Louca composed, arranged, and produced the piece, with co-production and mixing by Adham Zidan. Utterly gorgeous, radiant and engrossing, ‘El Taalab الثعلب’ leaves us eagerly awaiting the release of Fera.

Azmari to release new EP, In Oculis, in May; listen to first single ‘Disassembling the Matrix’

04 April 2025

There’s exciting news from Azmari who have announced their upcoming EP, In Oculis, set for release on May 9 through Sdban Ultra. In In Oculis, Azmari meld “genres that range from powerful grooves to cinematic jazz, from floating melodies to entrancing soundscapes,” reflecting their desire to reinvent themselves with new influences and experimentation and a more minimalistic approach. The Belgian outfit enlisted the help of French multi-instrumentalist Guillaume Souffrice (Mosso Mosso), a longtime collaborator who had already been Azmari’s guitarist in their initial lineup.

Alongside the EP news, Azmari unveiled today the first single, ‘Disassembling the Matrix’. Groovy, menacing and hypnotic, the track originated from a jam session where an arpeggiator loop malfunctioned, leading the band to explore its potential. This experimentation resulted in a 9/4 melodic loop that serves as the song’s backbone. Of the track, the band says:

“’Disassembling the Matrix’ is about the confrontation between man and machine. The loop of the arpeggiator and daf instrument guide us through the track in a powerful and elusive march.”

Listen to ‘Disassembling the Matrix’ now.