Kate Tempest - The Book Of Traps And Lessons (2019)

Tempest has also announced her third studio album, The Book of Traps and Lessons, set for release on 14 June through Fiction Records (UK) and American Recordings/Republic Records in the US.

Of ‘Firesmoke’, Tempest says, “I think of the song like a cleansing moment in the wider context of the record, in the same way that a relationship can be a cleansing moment in the wider context of a life. A kind of a turning point. I wrote it for my woman. Inspired by her and everything that falling in love with her has taught me.”

Tempest’s much-anticipated new album was crafted with Rick Rubin and Dan Carey over the course of the past five years. It follows her previous releases, 2014’s Everybody Down and 2017’s Let Them Eat Chaos, both of which were shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2014 and 2017, respectively. Last year, Tempest was nominated at The BRIT Awards for Best Female Solo Performer.

The London-born BRIT Award-nominated spoken word artist, rapper, poet, novelist, and playwright rhymes with a century-turning fury. Since her emergence in 2011, she has redefined what it means to be a wordsmith in the Modern Age. To date, she has published three poetry collections, staged three plays, and released two studio albums. Along the way, she entranced audiences on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NPR’s “Tiny Desk,” and more.

Elsewhere, Tempest garnered widespread critical acclaim from The New York Times, The New Yorker, Forbes, and more, to name a few. In the midst of this whirlwind journey, she performed a passage of her popular 75-minute narrative poem, Brand New Ancients, on Charlie Rose. Legendary producer and American Recordings Founder Rick Rubin caught the show, tracked down her phone number, and made a call. This set a series of events in motion that led to the forthcoming The Book of Traps and Lessons.