Tame Impala, Djo and King Princess cover the new October issue of Dork – order now

The new issue of Dork is here – available to order today (Friday 19th September) – and we’ve gone big. For October 2025, three covers, three artists in the thick of defining moments, refusing to stick to the established paths: Tame Impala, Djo and King Princess.

Tame Impala returns with ‘Deadbeat’, the first album of Kevin Parker’s post-psych era. It’s scrappier, heavier, more instinctive than the kaleidoscopic dreamworlds that made his name. We get into how he built it, why he’s tearing up his own blueprint, and what happens when an artist with nothing left to prove decides to do something unexpected instead. Also, he’s trying to be a free blob. His words. Not ours.

Djo returns to the cover of Dork with ‘The Crux Deluxe’. Where his breakthrough ‘Crux’ positioned Joe Keery as more than just another actor with a side-project, the expanded companion piece pushes harder — stranger structures, sardonic humour, big hooks warped into new shapes. We sit down to talk about how to follow a cult classic, why reinvention keeps him moving, and where Djo goes next.

And then there’s King Princess with ‘Girl Violence’. An album that’s all sharp edges and big choruses, it refuses to smooth anything down. Funny, furious and defiantly vulnerable, it’s her boldest yet. Mikaela Straus unpacks the chaos, the confidence, and what it means to cut through the noise on her own terms.

The rest of the issue keeps the volume up, but also digs deeper. Joy Crookes returns with ‘Juniper’, a record that doesn’t just reaffirm her sharpness as a songwriter, but pushes her into a new league. Gritty, honest and cut through with moments of real vulnerability, it’s the sound of someone writing without compromise. Crookes has always been direct, but here she’s louder, more pointed, and that boldness makes ‘Juniper’ impossible to ignore. Jay Som comes back after six years with ‘Belong’. The long wait has been worth it. Where her earlier music leaned into dreamy understatement, this is brasher, more unapologetic, and underpinned by a confidence that only comes with time away. It’s a statement album from an artist who doesn’t need to reintroduce herself — she’s arriving on her own terms, ready to make noise.

SG Lewis lifts the lid on ‘Anemoia’, his third album and one that keeps its roots in the club but isn’t afraid of getting darker. Zara Larsson, meanwhile, brings pure pop power with ‘Midnight Sun’. Big choruses, fearless delivery, and a refusal to play the industry’s game of what a “perfect” pop star should look like. It’s her most personality-driven record yet, full of bite, humour, and the kind of hooks only she can land.

Parcels sound lighter and looser on ‘LOVED’, an album that drops some of the polish of their past in favour of something freer. It’s still packed with grooves, but the edges feel less strict, more playful, and that shift makes the record glow. NewDad level up with the thunderous ‘Altar’. Heavier guitars, sharper songwriting, and a new confidence that makes every track sound like it belongs on a bigger stage. The band have been circling this kind of moment for a while; ‘Altar’ finally gets them there. And Sydney Minsky Sargeant steps out solo with ‘Lunga’, his first record under his own name. It’s a debut that feels personal and revealing, drawing on the lessons of his time fronting Working Men’s Club but carving out a new lane entirely. Quieter on the surface but heavier in emotional weight, it marks the beginning of a fresh chapter that promises plenty more to come.

Up front in Juice, there’s plenty more: Coach Party take us through album two ‘Caramel’, self-produced at their Isle of Wight base and deliberately heavier; Waterparks explain the long road to comeback single ‘Red Guitar’; Leigh-Anne makes the case for independence on her own terms. We catch up with Ho99o9 on their most uncompromising record yet ‘Tomorrow We Escape’, Slow Crush turn shoegaze into something darker with ‘Thirst’, and Balu Brigada are on the rise, fast. And in The Big Picture, we relive Club Breach at Colours Hoxton: Dork x Twenty One Pilots, a room drenched in red and yellow, a Josh Dun cameo, and a crowd that knew every word. Add to that Nieve Ella, Nell Mescal, Georgia, KennyHoopla and loads, loads more, and we’re very stacked up front. In Hype The Favors (i.e. Ashe & FINNEAS) share how they built their cinematic debut ‘The Dream’. Plus we introduce you to more new talent with ugly ozo and The Orchestra (For Now). Meanshilw, over in Incoming, it’s another monster month for albums, as Hayley Williams, Jade, Olivia Dean, Sprints and Lola Young are all amongst the acts putting out Really Very Good new records. Reading 2025 gets the Dork treatment too. From main stage triumphs to tent-shaking debuts, our full coverage brings back the highlights of a weekend that set the tone for the rest of the year.

You can order the new issue of Dork here, and it’ll dispatch before the 13th October 2025, or subscribe and get the print edition sent directly to your door every month here.

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