Rejoice, for Tortoise are back with their first new music in nine years! The legendary Chicago-based quintet of Jeff Parker, Dan Bitney, Douglas McCombs, John Herndon, and John McEntire unveiled today a new single, ‘Oganesson’, marking the first new music since their album The Catastrophist came out in 2016. Long revered as one of the most innovative and influential groups since their formation in the early 1990s, and undoubtedly trailblazers of the “post-rock” movement, Tortoise have carved a unique path through the landscape of contemporary music. ‘Oganesson’ sets the stage to a forthcoming album through International Anthem & Nonesuch Records, though details are still under wraps.
Exhilarating and dynamic, ‘Oganesson’ is a powerful reminder of Tortoise’s enduring ability to innovate, and we can’t wait for more stuff like this to be sprung upon us. Rob Shaw made an animated video to accompany the track and you can watch it below.
A longtime favourite of ours, incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and composer Poppy Ackroyd is set to release a new single, ‘Notes on Water’, on March 26th through One Little Independent Records. A deeply personal track, it marks the first collaboration between Poppy and her late father, Norman Ackroyd, a renowned British landscape artist and etcher. Composed by Poppy during her father’s final months, the piece captures the vitality and passion he embodied throughout his life.
Inspired by their shared journeys to remote islands, the piece mirrors the fluidity of the ocean and their shared love for nature, the sea, and their bond as artists. Poppy comments:
“‘Notes on Water’ is our first collaboration, an effort to capture moments we have spent together traveling around the British Isles, both on land and at sea. Our journeys have taken us to Orkney and Cape Wrath, as well as more remote destinations like the Skellig Islands and the Outer Hebrides – the most memorable trips were to the Flannan Isles and North Rona – traversing both turbulent oceans and glassy seas. Although we worked in different mediums, we both expressed ourselves through a collection of black ink marks on paper. This project is a celebration of our love for nature and the landscape, for the sea and its birds, but most importantly, for each other.”
With its dynamic and fluid piano composition, the track embodies the vitality and zest for life that Norman carried until his passing in September 2024. The release will feature both a solo piano version and one of Norman’s final etchings, his final artistic work before passing away in September 2024. This collaboration also serves as a tribute to Norman’s memory, with proceeds from the single going to the Norman Ackroyd Foundation, supporting printmaking and the arts.
Speaking about the piece, Poppy adds:
“This is the best way I could say ‘I love you’, speaking his language, through our work, which is where we always met. He was so thrilled to do this piece. Even at 86, he was young at heart, still exploring new things. It’s a celebration of his passion, our shared experiences, and the unspoken bond we had through art and music.”
Beautiful, radiant and poignant, ‘Notes on Water’ is after your ears.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
