Michael Kiwanuka announces self-produced album Fudge for October

Michael Kiwanuka will release his new album Fudge on 23 October via Polydor.

The 12-track album was confirmed on 24 September, with pre-orders now open. It follows his 2024 album Small Changes by just under two years. Pitchfork reported the release date and label.

Fudge is Kiwanuka’s first self-produced album since his 2012 debut Home Again. A producer oversees how songs are recorded, mixed and finished for release. Here Kiwanuka took that role himself, working with producer Dom Monks and strings collaborator Rosie Danvers.

That is a change. Fans will recognise two names missing from the credits. His recent albums were made with Brian Burton, who records as Danger Mouse, and producer Dean Cover, who records as Inflo.

Kiwanuka wrote Fudge almost concurrently with the songwriting sessions for Small Changes. The two records therefore come from the same writing period but were produced separately.

The announcement also included news about his health. Kiwanuka said he suffered a stroke several months ago. It was caused by bleeding in his brain due to high blood pressure.

The track list includes “Summer Clothes,” “California,” “Just Another Moment” and “Drowning in Your Heart.” The full album runs to 12 songs. Details of the remaining tracks have not yet been confirmed.

For fans, this means more choice at the shop counter. The album is offered for pre-order through his official website, with vinyl, CD and merchandise editions listed. His official store also lists an exclusive pink 2LP edition, a double vinyl record in pink.

That store describes Fudge as his most free and instinctive album to date. The description comes from the shop page, not from a review.