Discography: Fifth studio album
Tracks: 12
Runtime: 61 minutes
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette
Primary Producer: Michael Kiwanuka
Additional Production: Dom Monks
String Arrangements: Rosie Danvers
Recording Locations: Southampton and Frome, England
Mastering Engineer: Matt Colton
Album Artwork: Stevie Gee
Preceded By: Small Changes (2024)
Lead Single: Summer Clothes (October 2, 2026)
Second Single: Sing (October 16, 2026)
Songwriting: Primarily Michael Kiwanuka

Michael Kiwanuka is Back With FUDGE

FUDGE is the fifth studio album by British singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka, arriving two years after Small Changes. Much of its material originated during the same creative period as its predecessor, with Kiwanuka pursuing a more spontaneous recording process that allowed songs to develop through experimentation and extended performances.

The album represents another chapter in Kiwanuka’s exploration of soul, folk and psychedelic rock. The 12 tracks reflect his interest in musical freedom and personal expression, with arrangements that move between layered instrumentation and expansive instrumental passages.

Finding Freedom Behind the Mixing Desk

The FUDGE sound includes psychedelic soul, folk rock and orchestral pop, drawing inspiration from the Beatles, Neil Young, Shuggie Otis and Frank Ocean. Warm guitar tones, understated rhythms and Kiwanuka’s soulful vocals provide the foundation, while strings, organ passages and electric guitar solos introduce more expansive textures.

The influence of Shuggie Otis’s Inspiration Information is particularly important to the album’s playful, exploratory character. Tracks such as Love In My Heart develop through extended instrumental passages, while Stars introduces sharper electric guitar against lush string arrangements.

Songs, Lyrics and Personal Reflection

The album opens with Summer Clothes, a song inspired by Kiwanuka’s uncertainty about moving beyond his longtime production collaborators. California addresses longing and emotional distance, while Drowning in Your Heart offers reassurance to someone struggling with sadness. Across the Sky reflects on mortality and artistic legacy, and You Sent Me Flying turns toward love and tenderness.

Sing provides one of the album’s clearest expressions of Kiwanuka’s relationship with music, addressing moments when he questioned his creative future. Its message has acquired additional significance following the serious illness that delayed the album’s release. Written before those events, the songs document his reflections on independence, uncertainty and the importance of continuing to create.