Bicep’s next album is called SLUG, and it’s out on Ninja Tune on Friday 29 January 2027. Matt McBriar and Andy Ferguson announced it on Tuesday evening, and it’s a big one: 18 tracks over two discs, their first studio album since Isles in 2021.
Three more tracks came out with the announcement. “Gas” features Lauren Duffus and SOARR, “Ultra” has Eartheater and Saskia, and “Equarium” features Kehina. They join “Air”, “Lemonder” and “Viper” from the previous drop, so six of the 18 are already out.
The guest list goes well beyond the usual vocal features. Warp and Throttle producer Clark turns up on “Edmeno” and “Viper”, George Riley and KUČKA share “Curb”, Sassy 009 is on “Janus” and Rowena Fysx sings on “Lamb”. Eartheater appears twice, on “777” as well as “Ultra”, and SOARR and Kehina are on three tracks each.
The title comes from the gap between the grey garden slug most people picture and the brightly coloured sea slugs living underwater. “It felt like an amazing metaphor: you think one thing, but actually there’s a whole world beyond what you initially perceive,” the duo said. In the studio, that meant clean drum patterns getting distorted, clear vocals pushed through analogue gear and soft synths set against rougher sounds.
SLUG tracklist
Disc one
- Intro
- Gas (feat. Lauren Duffus & SOARR)
- Air (with SOARR)
- 777 (with Eartheater)
- Lemonder
- Ultra (feat. Eartheater & Saskia)
- Cielo
- Edmeno (with Clark)
- Pole II (with Kehina)
- Equarium (feat. Kehina)
Disc two
- Viper (with Clark & Saskia)
- Curb (with George Riley & KUČKA)
- Horses
- Janus (with Sassy 009)
- Lamb (with Rowena Fysx)
- Honda
- Xy
- Rose (with Kehina)
- Tides (with SOARR)
Formats and pre-orders
Ninja Tune has six physical versions up for pre-order. The standard 2LP is black vinyl in a silver mirror-board gatefold (£29), and there’s a safety yellow special edition (£31), a limited picture disc (£33), a 2CD (£12) and a cassette (£11). The one Belfast fans will want is the limited Irish edition on silver vinyl, pressed in Ireland (£31). All of them are on the Ninja Tune store, and you can also order through Bandcamp or pre-save it from the Bicep link page.
Isles went to number two in the UK and got Bicep a BRIT nomination, so SLUG has a lot to live up to. It’s out on 29 January.
