FACT can today reveal the title, tracklist and cover art of the new album by Actress.

Without doubt one of our most eagerly anticipated full-lengths of the year, it’s the follow-up to the South London-based producer’s slow-burning masterpiece of a debut, Hazyville (2008). It’s called Splazsh and will be released via Honest Jon’s.

We’ve only heard short clips of Splazsh‘s 15 tracks, but that’s enough for us to say for sure that the production sounds brighter, more full-bodied and extroverted than the inward-looking and altogether, er, hazier Hazyville. Immediate stand-outs include the submerged, Shake-style techno of ‘Hubble’ and ‘Let’s Fly’, ‘Futureproofing”s spectral-Autechre flavours, and the ecstatic vocal snippets and gravel-crunch house beats of ‘Always Human’ and ‘Senorita’,  not to mention the fat, syncopated future-funk of ‘Get Ohn (Fairlight Mix) and ‘Wrong Potion”s top-heavy hip-hop shapeshifting. Not only will this record satisfy Actress’s ardent fan following, it should also bring his singular sound to a far wider audience.

The album will be preceded by a single, ‘Paint, Straw And Bubbles’, including a winningly forthright, house-leaning remix from Zomby and a long version of album track ‘Maze’. We’re not sure of the release date of single or album yet, but we reckon March, and we’ll let you know when we find out precisely. The album’s cover image is shown above (against a black background).

Actress is the alter ego of Darren Cunningham, boss of Werk Discs, home to the likes of Lone, Zomby and Lukid. Last year he released the Ghosts Have A Heaven EP on Prime Numbers, recorded a belting FACT Mix and remixed Amsterdam’s Tom Trago to sterling effect.

The Honest Jon’s label is an extension of the store of the same name, which can be found on London’s Portobello Road. Perhaps best known for its exquisite compilations, which cover everything from dancehall to Middle Eastern string music, Moondog to West African calypso, HJs also boasts a formidable catalogue of original artist releases, including the Moritz Von Oswald Trio’s recent Vertical Ascent.

Splazsh tracklist:
1. Hubble
2. Lost
3. Futureproofing
4. Bubble Butts And Equations
5. Always Human
6. Get Ohn (Fairlight Mix)
7. Maze
8. Purrple
9. Splazsh
10. Senorita
11. Let’s Fly
12. Wrong Potion
13. Supreme Cunnilingus
14. The Kettle Men
15. Casanova