Floating Points announces new album ‘Cascade’, and shares lead single ‘Key103’

Floating Points, the electronic music project of Sam Shepherd, has announced a new album titled ‘Cascade’, set for release on 13 September via Ninja Tune. Alongside the announcement, Shepherd has unveiled the lead single ‘Key103’, accompanied by visuals created in collaboration with Tokyo-based artist Akiko Nakayama.

‘Cascade’ follows Shepherd’s critically acclaimed 2021 album ‘Promises’, which featured collaborations with saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra. The new album is said to mark a return to Shepherd’s electronic roots, building on the sound of his 2019 release ‘Crush’.

Reflecting on the album’s creation, Shepherd said, “It’s meant to be kind of a continuation”. He explained that ‘Cascade’ was conceived as an opportunity to explore the “ravey, experimental side” of his music in a live setting, something he was unable to do with ‘Crush’ due to pandemic-related tour cancellations.

The album’s title and artwork, featuring fluid imagery created by Nakayama, echo the themes of movement and pressure found in ‘Crush’. Shepherd described the album-making process as a stripping back to basics, creating the tracks on a laptop with headphones while working on other projects in California.

“There’s something about Manchester that keeps coming back to me, and I think it’s partly to do with its record shops”, Shepherd said, explaining the influence of his hometown on the album. He named tracks after local landmarks and institutions, including the lead single ‘Key103’, which he described as “an underground Manchester radio station I’d listen to religiously”.

Despite its origins in Manchester, ‘Cascade’ also draws inspiration from Shepherd’s time in California. “I’m just constantly chasing challenges”, he said, describing how the album fits into his diverse range of projects. “I always want to keep things moving and go all in on things that excite me. Whether that’s working with a 100-piece orchestra on a ballet or on a laptop on my own”.

Floating Points will be performing at several festivals throughout the summer, including London’s All Points East, We Out Here Festival, Lost Village Festival, and Forwards Festival. Shepherd has also announced a European tour for November.

The dates in full read:

JULY
12 NOS Alive, Lisbon, Portugal
13 BBK, Bilbao, Spain
20 Babylon Soundgarden Festival, Istanbul, Turkey
26 Fuji Rock Festival, Niigata, Japan

AUGUST
3 All Together Now, Waterford, Ireland
16 We Out Here Festival, Wimborne, UK
23 All Points East, London, UK
24 Lost Village Festival, Lincoln, UK
31 Forwards Festival, Bristol, UK

SEPTEMBER
20 Making Time, Philadelphia, USA
21 Boiler Room, Los Angeles, USA
28 Warm Love Cool Dreams, Chicago, USA
29 Portola Festival, San Francisco, USA

OCTOBER
5 Form, Arcosanti, USA
16 Melkweg, Amsterdam, Netherlands

NOVEMBER
16 Le Nef 104, Paris, France
28 Festsaal Kreuzberg (1900-2300), Berlin, Germany
29 Festsaal Kreuzberg (2330-0400), Berlin, Germany