Alfa Mist will release Variables, his fifth album, on Anti-.

On Variables, Alfa Mist dives into the argument of nature versus nurture.

“I’ve been focused on who I am in my music, but now I’m exploring where I am,” Alfa Mist says. “I’m asking: how did I get here?” Traversing luscious, big band swing, head-nodding boom-bap rhythms, and yearning vocal melodies, the record is expansive, soulful and moving, in both body and spirit. Across 10 new tracks, we’re told he couples his keen ear for emotive piano melodies with intuitive grooves and a free-flowing jazz improvisation.

Alongside the announcement, Alfa Mist has shared two new singles lifted from the album: the dark, introspective “4th Feb (Stay Awake)” and the seven-minute free improvised “BC.” Whereas the former is a lo-fi offering that pairs Alfa Mist’s reflective bars with a groove-heavy production, “BC” is a colourful swell of percussion.

Since the release of his first project, Nocturne, in 2015, Alfa Mist has worked with the likes of Jordan Rakei and Tom Misch. His music spans everything from hip-hop beat-making to producing for artists such as rapper Loyle Carner, composing neo-classical works for the London Contemporary Orchestra, and reworking tracks from composer Ólafur Arnalds. He released Bring Backs, his last album, in 2021.

Tracklisting

01. Foreword
02. Borderline
03. Aged Eyes feat. Kaya Thomas-Dyke
04. Cycles
05. The Gist
06. Genda (Go Away)
07. Apho feat. Bongeziwe Mabandla
08. Variables
09. 4th Feb (Stay Awake)
10. BC

Variables LP is scheduled for April 23 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “4th Feb (Stay Awake)” in full below and pre-order here.