Kelsey Lu is back in the spotlight: her first studio album in seven years arrives this Friday, and she’s announced a fall tour that opens in Philadelphia at the end of September. The announcement was released alongside a new music video for the lead single, underscoring the record’s immediate momentum.
Co-produced with Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman, the album—titled So Help Me God—brings together an unusually wide circle of collaborators. Credits include Kim Gordon, Sampha, Kamasi Washington and Lady Jess, names that span indie rock, electronic soul and contemporary jazz.
What to expect from the new record
The presence of Antonoff, a frequent architect of ambitious pop productions, paired with Rothman’s work in more experimental spaces, suggests the album will bridge Lu’s previous chamber-pop tendencies with broader, genre-crossing arrangements. Guests such as Sampha and Kamasi Washington point to textural vocal and instrumental layers rather than straightforward radio hooks.
Fans who remember Lu’s 2019 release, Blood, can expect a clear evolution: a longer gap between records, a larger roster of collaborators and a tour routing that takes her across North America and through Europe and the U.K.
So Help Me God Tour:
- 09-30 — Philadelphia, PA — The Foundry
- 10-03 — Brooklyn, NY — Pioneer Works
- 10-04 — Boston, MA — Brighton Music Hall
- 10-06 — Washington, DC — Union Stage
- 10-08 — Chicago, IL — Outset
- 10-10 — Vancouver, BC — Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
- 10-12 — Seattle, WA — Neumos
- 10-13 — Portland, OR — Wonder Ballroom
- 10-15 — San Francisco, CA — Great American Music Hall
- 10-16 — Los Angeles, CA — El Rey Theatre
- 11-03 — Paris, France — Foundation Cartier
- 11-04 — Paris, France — Foundation Cartier
- 11-06 — Amsterdam, Netherlands — Tolhuistuin
- 11-07 — Utrecht, Netherlands — Le Guess Who (festival)
- 11-09 — Manchester, England — New Century Locker
- 11-10 — London, England — KOKO
- 11-11 — Brussels, Belgium — Botanique (Museum)
- 11-13 — Cologne, Germany — CBE
- 11-15 — Hamburg, Germany — Bahnhof Pauli
- 11-16 — Berlin, Germany — Saalchen
- 11-17 — Warsaw, Poland — Oczki
- 11-18 — Prague, Czech Republic — Meet Factory
- 11-20 — Bern, Switzerland — Full Of Lava
The selection of venues—intimate clubs, arts spaces and festival stages—hints at a live show focused on atmosphere and close audience engagement rather than arena-scale spectacle. The routing also underlines Lu’s growing international profile, with multiple stops in major European cultural centers.
Alongside the tour news, Lu released a new visual for the album’s opening single, “Cutting Off the Head of a Ghost.” The clip amplifies the record’s themes of reinvention and tension and serves as the first public glimpse of the project’s aesthetic.
For listeners keeping track of contemporary cross-genre artists, this moment matters: it’s a rare major release from a singular voice who has spent the past decade building credibility across both experimental and mainstream circles. The album’s collaborators and the scope of the tour will likely shape how the record is received by critics and audiences alike.
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Hello, I’m Atlas. I explore the latest musical releases for you and guide you to your next sonic favorites.