Australian soul artist Ella Thompson reveals plans for new album, Triumph & Sadness

Triumph & Sadness follows 2024's Ripple on the Wing, with "Dandelion" arriving as the third taster. "I've always been drawn to bittersweet music, and the paradox of things containing their opposites," Thompson says of the concept behind the album.

The album was written alongside Liam McGorry and was recorded live across four days at the all-analogue Sound Recordings studio in rural Victoria, with contributions from members of Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo. The band captured fifteen tracks direct to tape which were later cut down to ten, with additional sessions for horns and vocals at Sound Park in Northcote. Mixing was handled by Wayne Gordon, whose credits include work with Daptone Records and The Womack Sisters.

The songs call back to the music that Thompson enjoyed as a child, including Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and Australian vocalist Renée Geyer, who became Thompson's idol and later her mentor, taking her on her first national tour at just sixteen. "Soul music has taught me so much about the world and our interconnectedness," she explains. "It is devotional music."

Triumph & Sadness artwork

Triumph & Sadness tracklist

"Promise To Keep"
"Parable"
"Make You Believe"
"My Weakness"
"Time, It Won't Forget"
"Beloved"
"Change Of Heart"
"Dandelion"
"Lover's Game (In Love Again)"
"When I Fall"