Towa Bird
The London songwriter confirms autumn UK shows, too.
Matilda Mann has announced her second studio album, 'Kismet', sharing lead offering 'The Fig Tree' to mark the occasion.
Arriving on 4th September, the eleven-song collection serves as the follow-up to her debut 'Roxwell', which landed in February 2025. Earlier offerings 'Inventing' and 'Bittersweet' both appear on the tracklist, the latter having been premiered as Radio 1's Hottest Record back in April.
The newly unveiled single takes its cue from Sylvia Plath, with the London songwriter reframing one of the poet's most familiar images. Speaking about the track, she says: "It's based off the poem by Sylvia Plath; where she struggles with the overwhelming decision of what to do with her career. Something we all have to go through and though it can feel hopeless and constantly changing, I wanted to try and write something that made it all feel lighter."
Ben Harris, a long-standing collaborator who previously helmed the visuals for 'Make It Home', 'Dazed & Confused' and 'Say It Back', directs the accompanying video.
Cut at collaborator Jonah Summerfield's studio in North London, the album draws from a palette of 70s soul and soft-rock – Al Green, Bill Withers, Carole King and The Carpenters – with nods to more recent acts such as Natalie Bergman and The Marías.
Unpacking the meaning behind the title, Matilda explains: "'Kismet' - is defined as destiny; fate. A hypothetical force or personified power that determines the course of future events. The world is so chaotic, full of questions, highs and lows and a lot of the time most of us don't know what we're doing. We want to make the most out of the one life we've been given and mistakes are a terrifying thing. But I like to think that there's a comfort in leaning into what the universe has in store, when you start to think of every rejection as a form of being redirected to somewhere you're actually meant to be. I know that can sound naive or like you're refusing to see anything negative, but I believe there's an art in trying to be a positive thinker. It's hard to do, but over time it's helped me appreciate the little things and people that mean the most to me. I hope this album can be your escape into seeing life a little brighter."
Describing the project further, she says it is "an all or nothing kind of album," before adding: "I'd love listeners to step away from the troubles of the world, have fun and think about their lives positively, without guilt."
A run of UK shows will follow this October. The dates in full read:
OCTOBER
9 Academy2, Manchester, UK
10 University, Newcastle, UK
11 Oran Mor Auditorium, Glasgow, UK
13 The Trinity Centre, Bristol, UK
14 O2 Institute 2, Birmingham, UK
16 O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, UK
Bristol's Electric and Nottingham's Rock City host the hardcore quintet this summer.
