Laurel Halo creates an unsettling form of calm on “Atlas”

Next month Laurel Halo will release her new album Atlas. We have already heard the lead single "Belleville," which was released in July, and now the DJ/producer has dropped the title track. "Atlas" is an ambient track filled with dramatic flourishes, from the beautiful strings to the more abstract sense of dread that filters in throughout its near seven-minute runtime. Check it out below.

Atlas is the first Laurel Halo album since 2018's Raw Silk Uncut Wood. A year later she contributed a mix to the long-running !K7 DJ-Kicks mix series. The album will be Halo's first release on her own imprint Awe, which shares a name with her regular NTS radio show. Halo's previous albums were released on labels including Hyperdub, Honest Jon's, and Latency.

The album was recorded partly at Ina-GRM Studios in Paris as well as in Berlin and London. Contributors include saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, and cellist Lucy Railton.

Halo will premiere her Atlas live show in Berlin in September before embarking on a full North American tour. A full list of her live tour dates and upcoming DJ sets can be found below.

August 19 - Oslo, NE - Blå *
August 25 - Lisbon, PT - Lux Fragil *
August 26 - London, UK - Venue MOT *

September 7 - Berlin, DE - Atonal +
September 8 - Dublin, IE - Dublin National Hall +
September 10 - London, UK - Barbican +
September 13 - Amsterdam, NL - Muziekgebouw +
September 16 - Bochum, DE - Ruhrtriennale +
September 22 - Philadelphia, PA - Making Time Festival *
November 3 - Iowa City, IA - FEaST Festival +
November 5 - Chicago, IL - Bond Chapel +
November 8 - Philadelphia, PA - Sanctuary of the First Unitarian Church +
November 9 - New York, NY - (Le) Poisson Rouge +
November 11 - New York, NY - Public Records *
November 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room +

* - DJ set
+ - Laurel Halo presents Atlas live