A new Michael Kiwanuka album is coming soon, and it might surprise his longtime listeners. FUDGE, the fifth full-length from the award-winning British singer-songwriter, will be out Oct. 23 via Polydor. The 12-track project is his first album produced without longtime collaborators Danger Mouse and Inflo, with Kiwanuka instead taking the lead on production himself. Recorded in Southampton and Frome, the album was completed before an ongoing period of ill health delayed its release for almost a year.

Kiwanuka began developing FUDGE while also writing 2024’s Small Changes. Much of the record took shape at Dreamers, a one-room studio near his Southampton home, where he worked with multi-instrumentalist and live-band member Joe Connell. The project gained momentum after the pair abandoned a planned session and began improvising instead, resulting in the seven-minute “Love in My Heart.” Kiwanuka described that recording as the moment he realized the sessions could become an album rather than a side project.

The album’s title reflects the less structured approach Kiwanuka brought to the sessions. “When I think of fudge it’s playful and childlike, which is good for creativity,” he said. “But also it’s a polite way to say I’m just going to do it.” Kiwanuka has cited albums including the Beatles’ Rubber Soul, Neil Young’s On the Beach, Frank Ocean’s Blonde, and Shuggie Otis’ Inspiration Information as reference points for the project.

After the Dreamers sessions, Kiwanuka brought the recordings to producer Dom Monks, whose credits include Laura Marling and Big Thief, and longtime string arranger Rosie Danvers. The album also features string arrangements recorded at Dreamers by Henry Rankin and Harry Fausing Smith’s quartet. Its 12 songs include “Summer Clothes,” “California,” “Drowning in Your Heart,” “Across the Sky,” “Stars,” “Sing,” and closing track “Swings and Roundabouts.” Artwork for FUDGE was created by illustrator and animator Stevie Gee.

Listen to Michael Kiwanuka’s FUDGE here.