Surprisingly announced this Monday, Belle & Sebastian unveil new material, a release that follows the earlier surprise of A Bit of Previous, which appeared last May after a seven-year gap without a new studio record in 2019, aside from the Days of Bagnold Summer soundtrack. The band from Glasgow now rides on greater editorial freedom, choosing to release music that carries a distinct and refreshing breeze. The collection spans everything from songwriter-oriented pieces to danceable disco-pop, all wrapped in the intimate, moody atmosphere fans expect.
Late Devs was crafted in the same sessions as Just Before, in mid-2021, while the world was still thawing from pandemic fog and bursts of light began to emerge. The forced pause seems to have sharpened the focus on the group’s core essence and origins. This line of songs feels natural, not self-conscious, starting with Juliet Nude, where Stuart Murdoch delivers a bold, unabashed punk edge that surprises even longtime listeners.
voices in dialogue
Sarah Martin’s vocal presence shines in Give It Some Time, a soothing pop hymn that gently untangles old grudges, while Cobra shapes the band’s evolving balance of power among its members. The lead role in So in the Moment features Stevie Jackson’s psychedelia, a beachy chorus, and a line where he longs to jump like Paul McCartney and Wings. The dynamic is enhanced by the interplay of masculine and feminine voices, especially in Are You Following with its gripping, funky momentum and the Murdoch–Martin dialogue.
Murdoch also reunites with an outside collaborator, Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura, on When the Cynics Stare from the Wall. A thread from Belle and Sebastian’s prehistory, dating back to 1994, surfaces here and invites reflection on why that original piece was set aside for so long.
There is a catharsis in When I Was Young, a very heartfelt journey, and at times the voice seems to return to synth-pop with I Don’t Know What You See in Me, a track influenced by friend Pete Ferguson. The closing number opens with the chorus and carries a timbre and buoyant spirit that invites listeners to treasure the present and to dream without restraint, even as archival desires loom in the background.
That’s largely what Late Developers conveys: emotional lag, the impulse of eternal adolescence, and Belle & Sebastian’s knack for unearthing pearls from a well that never runs dry.
Streets
Margo Price
Hill View
Psychedelic country folk
★★★★
A six-day psychedelic tour of Price’s fourth LP follows a hallucinogenic journey that paradoxically yields the most grounded, yet unforgettable, work in her catalog. The album blends raw human candor with a sensibility that invites guests like Mike Campbell and Sharon Van Etten, helping to stretch the sound from country folk to California acid rock without losing footing. Rafael Tapounet
Senator
Boy and Girl
Austria-Hungary
Electronic pop
★★★★
With an expanded lineup featuring José Luis Rebollo and Alicia San Juan returning from Bilbao, the project leans into historical or imagined figures with a smooth, charming vocal delivery. Chico y Chica’s senator threads subtle micro-stories through each line, weaving in the mini-narrative of Santa Teresa de Jesus, the micro symphony of Orden Mundial, and the social notes of Que Opinen Las Modelos. Imagining Carlos Berlanga in Mosquita Muerta, the result is a pleasurable listen. JB
Lives in the Village Pioneer
Fred Hersch and Hope Spalding
Palmetto Records
Jazz
★★★
Hersch embodies piano finesse, while Spalding offers a rare perspective beyond the standard jazz singer mold. Together they create a space where improvisation feels effortless, the here and now becomes tangible, and the music moves with a light, almost pop-like ease. It echoes the spirit of Egberto Gismonti’s Loro and reveals depth in how two artists from different corners of the jazz world can complement each other. Roger Rock