King Krule has announced the follow-up to his celebrated 2017 record The OOZ. Taking to Instagram yesterday (June 23), King Krule (AKA Archy Marshall) posted a photograph of himself in the studio playing guitar, with the brief but exciting caption “Nxt rcrds comin”.

The image was captured by photographer and Marshall’s partner Charlotte Patmore, and was tagged at Manchester recording studio EVE. 

Since the release of his last album The OOZ, Marshall has released videos for album tracks including “Biscuit Town”, “Logos”, and “Cadet Limbo”. The musician’s brother, Jack Marshall, directed the “Logos” animated visual, and Patmore – who frequently shoots the likes of Charli XCX, Kate Nash, and Krule on tour – directed the road movie-esque “Cadet Limbo”. 

Speaking to Dazed back at the time of his last LP, he gave some insight into his act and output: I don’t speak much and that’s something I’ve always been empowered by, in a way. Some of the best relationships with other people are in silence,” he said. 

And in more personal insight, he described the inner-workings of the album: “(It’s about) creating this world that you’re only getting snippets of, somewhere in-between dreaming and reality.”

Marshall added: “I disguise a lot of stuff that could be said straightforwardly. It’s kind of abstracted by indulging in memories and the motions...” It’s an interesting notion to keep in mind when this next album finally drops, to sift through the dense narrative worlds he creates.

19-track-long The OOZ clocked in at number nine on our 2017’s tracks of the year ranking. “There’s a sense of doubt that hangs over The OOZ... slow and meandering, often drifting into one another as if through a haze of smoke,” we wrote at the time. “Guitar twangs hang in the air and jazz chords dissolve into nothing, while some songs just stop mid-way through. It’s a languid and listless atmosphere that slowly builds up, occasionally exploding into an outpouring of raw energy (‘Dum Surfer’, ‘Vidual’, ‘Half Man Half Shark’). But for all the sense of dislocation and paranoia, The OOZ can be darkly funny too. At 23 years old, Marshall is still young, but having been releasing music since he was a teenager his style is by this point totally singular.”

While we eagerly await the follow-up, you can take a look back at the musician’s calming Instagram page dedicated solely to photos of the sky, at @oozskyphotos, or you can delve back into our previous exploration of his devotion to the colour blue or his style evolution, from inner-city teen beatnik to cultish phenomenon.