After teasing fans as far back as 2019, and again with a recent mixtape ‘88‘, Darren Cunningham has finally unveiled his latest Actress album, ‘Karma & Desire’.
The recent Bandcamp kerfuffle over ‘88′ meant the crypto-happy experimentalist self-fabricated the necessary commotion in the lead up to its October release via Ninja Tune.
‘Karma & Desire’ sees Actress diverging unexpectedly into vocal collaborations for the first time. And some collaborations could be genuinely memorable. Sampha, who features on the first single release ‘Walking Flames‘, Zsela, Aura T-09 and Rebekah Cristel all make appearances as does composer and pianist Vanessa Benelli Mosell.
Described by Darren Cunningham as “a romantic tragedy set between the heavens and the underworld”, ‘Karma & Desire’ is destined for more nebulous, nondescript and synthetic compositions like those in his previous game-changing LPs from ‘Splazsh‘ right up to ‘AZD‘.
The new album is also expected to intensify Actress’ homogeneity with incorporeality and philosophical existentialism: “love, death, technology, the questioning of one’s being” are quoted as inspiration in the liner notes.
‘Karma & Desire’ is scheduled for release 23 October. Order a copy from Ninja Tune.
TRACKLIST
1. Fire and Light
2. Angels Pharmacy (featuring Zsela)
3. Remembrance (featuring Zsela)
4. Reverend
5. Leaves Against The Sky
6. Save
7. VVY (featuring Sampha)
8. XRAY
9. Gliding Squares
10. Many Seas, Many Rivers (featuring Sampha)
11. Loveless (featuring Aura T-09)
12. Public Life (featuring Vanessa Benelli Mosell)
13. Fret
14. Loose (featuring Christel Well)
15. Turin (featuring Aura T-09)
16. Diamond X
17. Walking Flames (featuring Sampha)