The Album Leaf - A Body Of Voices (2026) [Hi-Res]

Jimmy LaValle’s The Album Leaf delivers *A BODY OF VOICES*, his 9th studio LP and the most collaborative, pop-forward project of his acclaimed quarter-century run. Known for nuanced, melodic, and meditative electro-organic music, LaValle has always been a process-driven artist, constantly refining his sound and pushing beyond his natural inclinations. On *A BODY OF VOICES*, he does that by welcoming the artistry of others on a scale he’s never attempted before.

Nearly every track is a collaboration, with contributors including Aaron Shaw, Aaron Ray, Aisha Badru, Kyle Kidd, Maiah Manser, Aelatan, Nicole Miglis (Hundred Waters), Theresa Wayman (Warpaint), Raphaelle Standell-Preston (Braids, Blue Hawaii), Spencer Zahn, Stephen McBean (Black Mountain), and Twin Shadow. LaValle’s signature world-building production, which has evolved from his Rhodes-based beginnings into a more modern, textural synthesis, takes new shape through these dynamic vocalists and instrumentalists.

“I really wanted to work with artists who, first and foremost, I admire and love their work,” says LaValle. “But also people who could really navigate, both lyrical storytelling and sonic storytelling, capable of melodically shifting within a song that may not be shifting so much on its own.”

The Album Leaf began as a solitary outlet outside LaValle’s time playing in bands, but over the years he’s increasingly embraced a more collective approach. For 2023’s *Future Falling*, he sent compositions to artists including Bat For Lashes and Kimbra to see where their interpretations might take them. *A BODY OF VOICES* expands that idea into a full album built around unexpected and harmonious pairings.

The album opens with “Floating,” a ruminative synth drift featuring instrumentation from Spencer Zahn. “Intertwine,” featuring Theresa Wayman of Warpaint, pairs LaValle’s programming and live drums from Aaron Ray with Wayman’s relaxed delivery, creating something both urgent and dreamy.

On “Turns,” Nicole Miglis brings heartfelt lyrics and hushed, pliable vocals to one of the album’s standout tracks. “I’ve loved that track from the beginning,” says LaValle. “Her range, her lyricism, where she sings, where she sits within the melody…Nicole just really brought it all together.”

Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr. transformed “Cry When I’m Nervous” by adding synth ideas and reshaping the bass line, turning LaValle’s original arrangement into one of the punchiest tracks in The Album Leaf’s catalog.

“True Love, Don’t Be Afraid,” featuring Black Mountain’s Stephen McBean, reflects a friendship and creative connection that stretches back decades. LaValle and McBean first crossed paths through shows in the ’90s with their respective bands, rooted in the communal underground scenes of San Diego and Vancouver.

Similarly, LaValle first met Raphaelle Standell-Preston in 2015. Nearly a decade later, they finally collaborated on “Take Me,” an adventurous and vulnerable synth-pop piece featuring Standell-Preston’s Braids bandmate Austin Tufts on drums and mixing. “She’s been the artist that I’ve always wanted to work with, because of the journeys that she’s able to go on vocally,” says LaValle.

As the contributors and textures shift, LaValle’s compositional fingerprint — his instincts for space, tempo, and timing — hold *A BODY OF VOICES* together as a singular statement. “I still fall into my own patterns,” he admits. “No matter how hard I try to get away from it. But I’ve been finding a lot of solace in collaborating.”

Nearly thirty years into The Album Leaf, the project remains unmistakably LaValle’s while continuing to evolve. *A BODY OF VOICES* is the result of pushing beyond familiar boundaries — a fluid, collaborative process that keeps one of electronic music’s most enduring projects moving forward.