Róisín Murphy has announced a new album, Hit Parade, which will be out September 8 via Ninja Tune (pre-order). Her first album since 2020’s fantastic Róisín Machine, she made this one with DJ Koze. “We worked remotely, in different countries sending tracks/ideas back and forth for several years,” Murphy says. “I always have to approach a new collaboration with openness and a willingness to learn and never more so than with this.”
“The studio in this case was imaginary, in the airspace between Hamburg and London,” Murphy continues. “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!”
“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.”
With the announcement comes new single “The Universe.” Like “CooCool” from earlier this year, this is very chill, with DJ Koze crate-digging to weave together a few ’70s soul samples with found-sound vocal clips of someone describing a beach vacation. It’s just a little off center, which is usually where Róisín can be found. In fact, “The Universe” almost sounds like it coulda come from 1973, and Murphy’s sultry pipes fit right into that world. Listen below.
Roisin Murphy has also announced a few fall US tour dates to celebrate the new album, first hitting NYC’s Terminal 5 on September 27, then heading to the West Coast for a headline show at LA’s The Wiltern on September 29, and then an appearance at the 2023 edition of San Francisco’s Portola Festival on October 1. All dates are listed below.
Hit Parade:
1. What Not To Do
2. CooCool
3. The Universe
4. Hurtz So Bad
5. The House
6. Spacetime
7. Fader
8. Free Will
9. You Knew
10. Can’t Replicate
11. Crazy Ants Reprise
12. Two Ways
13. Eureka
Róisín Murphy Live Dates 2023/24:
Sat May 20 – Festival – Corona Capital – Guadalajara, MX
Sun Jun 4 – Festival – Mighty Hoopla – London, UK
Wed Jun 7 – Festival – PSM Loves Summer – Istanbul, TR
Fri Jun 9 – Festival – European City of Culture Show – Veszprem, HU
Sat Jun 10 – Festival – Melt Festival – Berlin, DE
Sun Jul 2 – Headline – Trinity Summer Series – Dublin, IE
Fri Jul 7 – Festival – Bilbao BBK – Bilbao, ES
Sat Jul 8 – Festival – North Sea Jazz – Rotterdam, NE
Sun Jul 9 – Festival – Cactus Festival – Bruges, BE
Thu Jul 13 – Festival – Super Bock Super Rock – Meco, PT
Sat Jul 15 – Festival – Gurtenfestival – Bern, CH
Fri Jul 21 – Festival – Blue Dot – Jodrell Bank, UK
Sun Jul 23 – Festival – Secret Garden Party – Abbots Ripton, UK
Sat Jul 29 – Festival – Watt En Schlick – Dangest, DE
Sun Aug 6 – Festival – Spice Music Event Port of Burgas – Burgas, BG
Wed Aug 9 – Festival – Øyafestivalen – Tøyenparken, NO
Sat Aug 12 – Festival – We Out Here – Wimborne, UK
Sat Aug 26 – Festival – Connect – Edinburgh, UK
Sun Aug 27 – Festival – Lost Village – Lincoln, UK
Wed Sept 27 – Headline – Terminal 5 – New York, USA
Fri Sept 29 – Headline – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, USA
Sun Oct 1 – Festival – Portola – San Francisco, USA
Sat February 17th – Headline – Alexandra Palace – London, UK