My new album ‘HIT PARADE’ will come to you on SEPTEMBER 8TH. Pre-order the album from my store to access the pre-sale for the headline show at ALEXANDRA PALACE. My new single ’THE UNIVERSE’ is in the world RIGHT NOW and available to stream & save here! https://t.co/GMU1gAwdjG pic.twitter.com/NZbuJI6VZb

— Róisín Murphy (@roisinmurphy) May 17, 2023

The Irish singer-songwriter has also today shared the LP’s lead single, “The Universe“, a breezy, funky and decadently summery ear worm of a song that comes with its own absurdist lyric music video.

Watch the music video for “The Universe” below:

Hit Parade will be Murphy’s sixth solo album to date and will be produced by German DJ and music producer DJ Koze. The two artists have previously worked together on the single “CooCool“, the releasing of which in March 2023 marked Murphy’s signing to Ninja Tune.

Watch the music video for “CooCool” below:

Murphy outlined the collaboration between DJ Koze and herself, saying, “We worked remotely, in different countries sending tracks/ideas back and forth for several years. I always have to approach a new collaboration with openness and a willingness to learn and never more so than with this. 

The singer continued, “The studio in this case was imaginary, in the airspace between Hamburg and London. That meant we were both in a personal, private place when working on the songs. For me that brought out a more intimate approach to the songwriting, I told this album my secrets. For Koze it meant total freedom and absolute focus without the distraction of my presence. He too took a deep dive into himself and I believe that’s why the music is so vibrant and alive. It is just exploding with colour!”

Murphy expanded her views on what the album means to her as she explains, “It’s a joyful record, I’ve never been happier, that is partly down to personal reasons but also in my work I’ve been very fulfilled. For me the record is about love and sensuality but also it’s about music itself and how it’s always been there for me. There are tinges of darkness, of the abyss, as well as all the joy. There’s contemplation of mortality which is meant to serve as reminder to me (and perhaps you the listener) to really live while we can“.

After moving to Manchester from her birthplace of Arklow, Ireland at the age of 12, Murphy entered the music world after joining a post-punk band briefly as a teenager before meeting Mark Brydon at a party in 1994. The couple started dating and formed the electronic dance pop duo Moloko, releasing four albums, the third of which, Things to Make and Do, being their most successful,  reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart and containing their most popular hit, “The Time is Now“.

Watch the music video for “The Time is Now” below:

After the disbandment of Moloko, Murphy released her debut solo album, Ruby Blue, in 2005 to positive critical acclaim, and has gone on to release a further four albums, with her last release, Róisín Machine, coming at the end of 2020.

Pre-order Hit Parade here.

The LP, Iqbal’s second to date, was released on April 28th via Ninja Tune and has already attained a good deal of attention and affection in equal measure, with The Quietus praising the record’s “tripped-out sunburst euphoria“.

. @nabihahiqbal UK Live Tour dates for 2023 have now been announced Head over to the link below to sign-up for pre-sale tickets which will be available Thursday 18th May. General on-sale tickets available Friday 19th May → https://t.co/YRQkCSRRTs pic.twitter.com/gSRa0y7x0O

— Ninja Tune (@ninjatune) May 15, 2023

The five-date tour comes at the end of September, with the first gig in Glasgow at King Tut’s on the 22nd and the final show at EartH in London on the 30th.

London-based Iqbal’s music career began as an aside to her career as a legal professional; in 2013, whilst working as a human rights lawyer, she started releasing material under the alias Throwing Shade, with an initial focus on experimental electronic music. With the release, however, of her debut album, Weighing of the Heart, in 2017, came both a switch in identity and in genre; she had reverted to using her birth name for her musical identity, and had swayed gently towards a more indie rock sound.

Dreamer, as fans who will be in attendance at the series of shows will soon find out, offers a delve into both sets of genres that Iqbal has claimed for herself. The dance floor oriented electronic music that made Throwing Shades known in the first place presents itself again in the tracks “Sunflower“, “Gentle Heart” and “Sky River” in the form of groovy tech-house, while “The World Couldn’t See Us” brings with it an 80s new wave, The Cure-esque vibe, with its fast-paced drums and guitars complimenting each other exquisitely.

Watch the music video for “Sunflower” below:

The title track, “Dreamer“, another fast-paced and high-energy number, strewn together beautifully in a shoegaze fashion and adorned with Iqbal’s almost angelic vocals, certainly fits the title as it draws the listener in and envelopes them with its ethereal nature.

Watch the music video for “Dreamer” below:

See below for the tour dates:

22/09/2023 – King Tut’s – Glasgow
23/09 – YES – Manchester
28/09 – Patterns – Brighton
29/09 – The Trinity Centre – Bristol
30/09 – EartH – London

Order a copy of Dreamer here.

You can sign up for pre-sale tickets for the string of shows, which will be available from May 18th, here, and the general sale starts on May 19th.

The leading single, “You Could Be”, featuring singer George Riley, is the first feature that Anz has had on one of her tracks, itself showing that she is on the rise. See the music video below.

The following track, “Real Enough to Feel Good”, was released as a single last month with “You Could Be” as its B-side. Despite her starting her own label earlier this year, OTMI, these tracks were released on Ninja Tune.

To promote the release, Anz is playing at The White Hotel in Manchester on the 22nd of October, with many other DJs, as well as the Wigwam Basement in Dublin on the 6th of November.

She made a name for herself earlier this year, with the track “Unravel in the Designated Zone” gaining popularity and raising her profile, and “Loos in Twos (NRG)”, released last year on Hessle Audio, becoming a regular feature on many a DJ set. Her meteoric rise could perhaps be attributed by her ability to span numerous forms of UK dance music, not over-relying on one sound to the point of tedium and being able to access as many audiences as possible.

Despite her recent popularity, she is by no means a newcomer, having been consistently releasing tracks since 2017, beginning with Anz EP, released on Chow Down records. It is clear that since then she has found her sound and refined the rougher edges of her production. While still indulging in the occasional bass stab, her sound has since become much glossier and cleaner.

The Manchester-based DJ and producer has had a busy year in releasing singles, EP’s and founding her own record label, OTMI, as well as now releasing physical copies of this release on her Bandcamp, with one including a sticker sheet and another including an exclusive white label, a special treat for the DJ’s and old-school crate-diggers. You can stream All Hours below.

Photo Credit: Melanie Lehmann

View this post on Instagram

We’re really excited to share that we’ve joined the @ninjatune family and our new single ‘Talks’ is out everywhere now. Talks is the first single off our debut EP ‘Toner’ which will be out November 20th physically and digitally via @bigdadarecords. Toner features three new tracks and remixes from @the_mura_masa , @lynkslynkslynks and Daniel Fox of @birl_gand . You can preorder the 12” along with some merch bundles via http://pva.band Feels good to finally be sharing this music with you all – thanks for waiting Love to @laurenlaverne for premiering Talks on her show this morning and big love and thanks to all the people who’ve helped us work towards this release in the craziest of times – to Maddy, Darius, Marco, Dan, Lex, Feta, Lewis, Chloe, The Ninja Tune Team, Adam, Oli, Elliot, G, Tim P & everyone else who made this possible along the way. We love you! J, L & E x Artwork photography by @lewis.khan Styling by @chloealicefrieda Design by PVA & @slugxoxo

A post shared by PVA (@pva_are_ok) on Sep 30, 2020 at 2:00am PDT

The track opens with what sounds like a church organ sound, quickly interrupted by a rhythm section so energetic its impossible not to tap your foot too. PVA is a genre-defying band, but the dance element present in their debut single Divine Intervention is clearly alive and kicking in Talks.

Then enters the dark guttural sound of Josh Baxter’s voice: ‘I’ve been stuck tryna to play this game// and I rolled the dice just to see you again’, he sings, echoed by the heavenly vocals of Ella Harris. The chemistry between their voices is reminiscent of the classic partnership between Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot.

Talks was inspired by the relationship between two Red Dead Redemption characters, Abigail and John Marston. The repeated refrain, ‘you don’t wanna talk// nah you don’t wanna talk’ that Harris and Baxter sing interchangeably, could be a back and forth between the cowboy couple.

When Baxter sings ‘I’ve searched for forgiveness’, the edge in his voice makes it sound like he could be taking on the persona of the determined protagonist, with whom Abigail’s main complaint was that he wouldn’t leave behind his violent and vengeful ways. It is a tale as old as time, but PVA’s take is entirely fresh.

One of the most notable things about Talks is the instrumental maturity displayed. Synths, guitars and a tight drum beat all work together flawlessly; disappearing and reappearing at the perfect moments. The electric guitar accent that weaves through the song is is a pure stroke of genius, as is Louis Satchell’s drumming, which provides the framework for all the other layers.

For a young band with only two singles out, one might be surprised at how confident PVA’s sound feels. But the band has been playing together for a few years now, building up support through live performances in cult venues like The Windmill and the Bunker. Managed by members of the powerhouse DIY collective Slow Dance and having just signed to Big Dada, they are well set to go from strength to strength. You can preorder their upcoming EP Toner via their website.