Labi Siffre has announced ‘Unfinished Business‘, his first full-length studio album in 28 years, marking a major late-career return for the revered British singer-songwriter and poet.

Now 80, Siffre has spent much of the past two decades away from the album cycle, releasing only occasional singles and making rare live appearances while his classic recordings quietly gathered new generations of listeners online. Unfinished Business, due later this year via Demon Music Group, is his first full album since 1998’s ‘The Last Songs‘ and spoken-word project ‘Monument‘, ending an almost three-decade pause in his studio discography. The new record arrives at a moment when his catalogue, once a cult concern, has been reframed as foundational listening for contemporary pop, hip-hop and indie fans alike.

Lead single ‘Far Away’ anchors the announcement, a reflective piano ballad that leans into the soulful inflexions that have long underpinned Siffre’s folk-rooted music. Built around intimate vocals, the track feels like a continuation of the emotional clarity that defined songs like ‘Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying’ and ‘My Song’, but delivered with the weight and stillness of an artist looking back over a long life. ‘Far Away’ has already been showcased in a rare BBC Radio 2 Piano Room performance, where Siffre paired the new piece with ‘My Song’ and a cover of the Four Tops’ ‘Baby I Need Your Loving‘, underlining how comfortably his new material sits alongside his vintage work.

Siffre’s return has been building quietly for several years, helped by social media virality and high-profile sync placements. ‘Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying’ featured prominently in the 2024 film The Holdovers, while ‘Cannock Chase’ appeared in the critically acclaimed Sentimental Value the following year, pushing his songs back into wider public consciousness.

At the same time, tracks like Bless The Telephone have taken on new life on TikTok, and official channels have been steadily uploading restored videos and interviews, reframing him for a younger, online audience.

Across the 1970s and 1980s, Siffre released a run of albums that blended folk, soul and jazz, yielding UK hits like ‘It Must Be Love’ and the anti-apartheid anthem ‘(Something Inside) So Strong’ which would go on to be reimagined through popular covers by Madness, Kenny Rogers and others. His tracks have also been sampled in acclaimed hip-hop singles, including Ye’s cult-classic 2007 single ‘I Wonder’, which samples Siffre’s ‘My Song’.

With a poignant legacy spanning several decades, a legacy now both nostalgic and new to many, Labi Siffre’s ‘Unfinished Business‘ is expected to unite his audience through his revived, soul-touching soft-rock and folk sound. If anyone can encapsulate the human experience through music, it’s Siffre.

Whilst specific dates are yet to be confirmed, the album is expected to be released later this year.