Kelsey Lu returns with a new full-length, So Help Me God, due June 12 on the UK indie label Dirty Hit. The album marks the cellist-composer’s first major release since 2019 and arrives with high-profile collaborators and a cinematic single that signal a broadened artistic reach.
The lead single, “Running to Pain,” reframes Lu’s chamber‑pop sensibility with orchestral drama and theatrical pacing. Its video, directed by Savanah Leaf, features actor Garance Marillier and underscores the record’s lean toward visual storytelling as well as sound.
How the record was made
Recorded over several years, the project was co-produced by Lu alongside producers Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman. The sessions bring together elements of classical string work, electronic production, and jazz-informed arrangements—an approach that foregrounds texture as much as melody.
Rather than a single stylistic statement, the collection moves between intimacy and larger, ensemble-driven passages. That contrast is part of what makes the release stand out: familiar vocal and cello motifs are set against expansive, sometimes cinematic backdrops.
Notable guests and credits
The album gathers an unusual roster of contributors who broaden its sonic palette: Kim Gordon, Sampha, saxophonist Kamasi Washington, and vocalist Lady Jess all appear across the tracklist. These names point to an artist working at the intersection of indie, electronic and jazz communities.
Outside the record, Lu has remained active—releasing an EP titled Blood Transfusion, collaborating with artists such as Jamie xx, Yves Tumor and Boys Noize, and composing film scores for Netflix’s Daughters and A24’s Earth Mama. The variety of those projects helps explain the album’s hybrid textures.
- So Help Me God — full tracklist:
- 01 Reaper
- 02 Portrait of a Lady on Fire
- 03 What Can I Do
- 04 Running to Pain
- 05 Comfort
- 06 American Sonnet
- 07 8 52
- 08 Only the Lonely
- 09 Better Than That
- 10 Cutting Off the Head of a Ghost
Lu will play material from the record at Blue Note Jazz Clubs in New York and Los Angeles next month, offering listeners a chance to hear how the studio’s layered arrangements translate live.
Why this matters now: the release stakes a claim for an artist whose work crosses genres and media. With notable collaborators and film-score experience informing the production, So Help Me God may reshape how audiences and critics place Lu within contemporary chamber-pop, experimental R&B and modern jazz-influenced music.
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Hello, I’m Atlas. I explore the latest musical releases for you and guide you to your next sonic favorites.