About this item

Emma-Jean Thackray, the visionary producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, releases her highly anticipated second album, 'Weirdo' on April 25th via Gilles Peterson’s celebrated label, Brownswood Recordings / Parlophone Records. Known for defying musical boundaries, Thackray's latest work is a deeply personal and utterly original exploration of selfhood, grief, and gratitude.

Drawing on an eclectic mix of influences—grunge, pop, soul, p-funk, and jazz -  'Weirdo' is a triumphant celebration of survival and individuality. Written, performed, recorded, mixed, produced and arranged entirely by Thackray in her South London flat, the album stands as a testament to her extraordinary musicianship and fearless self-expression.

STAFF COMMENTS

Paul says: Emma-Jean Thackray returned in 2025 with an album that refused to be ignored. Her debut album, 'Yellow', firmly established her on the UK jazz scene, but when ‘Weirdo’ hit back in April via Gilles Peterson's label, Brownswood Recordings, the 35-year-old West Yorkshire-born bandleader revealed herself as a musical polymath and ace producer able to use “jazz language” as a basis for her eclectic multiverse of broken beat, P-funk, spiritual jazz, hip-hop, and beyond.

'Weirdo' reportedly began life in 2022, but its themes took a devastating turn after the sudden passing of her partner in January 2023. After a six-month hiatus spent playing the computer game Zelda or staring at the wall, Thackray found her way back to the music and crafted 19 songs (or just under an hour of music) that sit together as a true modern-day masterpiece. You only need to read the liner notes to find a dizzying index of the instruments played by her: trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, euphonium – along with vocals, guitar, drums, keys, production, mixing, and art direction. Her name appears in the credits 123 times!

Love and loss, death and rebirth, from reclusiveness to sociability are all covered here, but that's not to say it's a depressing journey. "Maybe Nowhere" would get any crowd swaying and dancing, and closing track "Thank You for the Day" has a classy gospel-soul bop and sublime vocal workout that channels a tangible sense of optimism.

The art work might suggest that with glamour can come disaster. But this album proves she got out of that bath, and moved onwards like a warrior.

TRACK LISTING

1. Something Wrong With Your Mind
2. Weirdo
3. Stay
4. Let Me Sleep
5. Please Leave Me Alone
6. Save Me
7. Maybe Nowhere
8. What Is The Point
9. Black Hole (feat. Reggie Watts)
10. In Your Mind
11. Tofu
12. Fried Rice
13. Where’d You Go
14. Wanna Die
15. Starting At The Wall
16. I Don’t Recognise My Hands
17. It’s Okay (feat. Kassa Overall)
18. Remedy
19. Thank You For The Day