Now, eleven years after The Original Faces, Helen are finally returning with album number two. Linda’s Head is set to arrive October 2 via Kranky. Details about the story or specific inspiration behind the album are still pretty scarce, which somehow feels appropriate for a project that has never been particularly interested in overexplaining itself.

The announcement also comes with two new songs, the title track “Linda’s Head” and “Dead Shark II”. Both immediately slip back into Helen’s blurred, melodic universe, with Harris’ harmonies floating through thick reverb while the rhythm section keeps everything moving underneath. There is a softness to the songs, but also a shoegaze drive and pop instinct that hit right away, especially on the irresistible “Dead Shark II”.

For those who follow left-of-centre pop, electronic music and adventurous club sounds, C2C Festival has long been one of the most exciting festivals in Europe. We went last year, and the experience confirmed what the line-up already suggested: this is a festival with a real point of view. It knows how to bring together big names, cult favourites and more experimental artists without making the programme feel random.

Among the new additions, The Avalanches are one of the biggest surprises. The Australian group, known for their sample-heavy, emotional collages, will play the opening night at OGR Torino. Their appearance comes as they are teasing their next chapter, following their 2020 album We Will Always Love You. And their recent single “Together,” featuring Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza, and Prentiss, got us particularly excited.

Shygirl is another major addition. The London artist, who has become one of the most exciting voices in electronic pop, mixing club music, grime, R&B, hip hop and hyperpop, will perform in Italy for the very first time.

The announcement also brings Smerz back to the festival. Loyal readers will know that we have been following the Norwegian duo since “Because” in 2016. Their album Big City Life was one of last year’s most significant records, and they were also one of our highlights of the festival last year. In 2026, the duo will perform at Teatro Carignano for a special matinée. This is also one of the key pieces of news from the announcement: the historic Turin venue returns to the programme for the first time in eleven years.

Also joining the bill are Grouper, the much-loved project of Liz Harris, whose intimate ambient folk should make for one of the most beautiful moments of the closing day; ML Buch, one of the most interesting names from the new CPH scene; and Elias Rønnenfelt, frontman of Iceage, who arrives after a very prolific period including his solo album Speak Daggers and lucre, a collaborative project with Dean Blunt that was one of favourite releases of 2025.

C2C Festival 2026 will run from Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November. Tickets via DICE.

Elusive sad indie artist Liz Harris aka Grouper will follow up to her 2018 album Grid Of Points with a new record, Shade, which features songs recorded in different places over the past 15 years. Listen to the first single “Unclean Mind” and support via Bandcamp below.

Californian avant garde rock band Xiu Xiu have just announced a collaborative album, OH NO, on which Jamie Stewart is “sharing the spotlight with an array of guests who have made an impact on him personally and musically”. This record of duets will feature Sharon Van Etten, Circuit des Yeux’s Haley Fohr, Chelsea Wolfe and Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr amongst others.

On the hazy, banjo-leaded first single, “A Bottle of Rum,” Jamie Steward and Angela Seo are joined by Grouper‘s Liz Harris, which unfolds her ghostly vocal harmonies on what might be one of their poppiest songs so far.

About the conception of the track, Stewart detailed:

“About a year ago I bought a cheap bajo quinto, which is a 10 string low register guitar like instrument used in Tejano, conjunto and norteño musics. As it is a cheap one, only certain chords sound good on it. One of them, annoyingly, is the open ‘cowboy’ voicing of D major. When we started Xiu Xiu, founding member Cory McCulloch had a lot of rules for the band. One of them was we could never use this chord. It has become a creative game in the last few years to try and break some of these rules but in a way that respects that Cory had very good reasons for imposing them in the first place, so in this voicing, D major is an insipid chord.”

Before adding:

“I had been trying to write a song on this bajo quinto to no avail and then drunkenly (A Bottle of Rum) listened to the Grouper song, “Heavy Water/I’d Rather Be Sleeping.” A spark shone and feebly I tried to write something that, at least at first, sounded like it. I had asked Liz Harris, the gem behind Grouper and who is an old friend, if she would sing on this new record of duets. Initially I thought of her for another song but she specifically, although not knowing she had been the inspiration behind it in the first place, asked to be on this one. If the stars ever have aligned… well then.”

Angela Seo concludes:

“This video, as often is with Xiu videos, is an amalgamation of things that I want and am into lately. When I was a kid, I always wanted a video camera and was fascinated with tapes, but couldn’t afford one. I’m an adult now, and can buy what I want, so I bought a used mini DV camera. I like how the tapes look, the specific way they capture color, and also the tactile feeling of inserting and ejecting a tape.” She adds: “Also, I’ve always had a love for noir films and their penchant for shadows, fate, doom, and drama. Our friend and superb drummer David Kendrick (Sparks, Devo, Xiu Xiu) wrote a three part noir story and this is part 1. In keeping with the times, most of this was intentionally DIY, shot alone or with just a couple of friends and a tripod.”

Watch the video of “A Bottle of Rum” and pre-order OH NO via Bandcamp below.