Locust shares new song ft. Slowdive mem., "Long Distance Lover"

Locust, the project of iconic English electronic musician Mark Van Hoen, is excited to share his new single “Long Distance Lover.” The song features Slowdive’s Neil Halsted on guitar and vocals from Irish musician Natasha Morrow. A collaboration that came together over the past few years, pulsating synths outline drawn-out lyrics that emit a desire for intimacy and connection despite physical distance. Riffs are meticulously draped over each sound, making for a poignant moment. An official music video arrives alongside the track, capturing the well of emotional desire that fills a long-distance relationship as silhouettes dip in and out of frame.

Speaking about the new song, Mark shares, “The music was recorded back in 2020 originally as a collab between Neil Halstead and I. It sat around for a few years, and I had the idea to send it to Natasha to see if it inspired anything vocally. She came up with the idea of long-distance phone calls between lovers. It struck a chord with me as I had experienced a couple of relationships like that. The idea of repeating these expressions of desire and longing over and over, because you are aching to be together. I had actually never met Natasha, and generally, I find that remote collabs don’t work because there’s a connection missing somehow. But in Natasha’s case, I had several long phone calls with her, and I think we connected that way. Not in any romantic sense, but as musical collaborators, which has its own particular need for a personal connection and understanding. I found it interesting that it related to the song’s lyrics in that she and I established a different kind of personal bond over the phone.”

• LISTEN TO “LONG DISTANCE LOVER”
• WATCH “LONG DISTANCE LOVER”

Today’s release follows significant anticipation from devotees of the iconic project since Van Hoen assembled a new live configuration, featuring musician and NTS Radio DJ Olive Kimoto on lead vocals with whom he has been premiering new material across select U.S. dates since September—including headlining Perfectly Imperfect’s Elsewhere takeover, And Always Forever Festival, and Flower Moon Festival—marking their first live performances since supporting Massive Attack in the 90s.

More performances will be announced soon, with a show alongside Dummy and Harmony Index set for May 28 at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneerstown, CA. In recent years, the project has cultivated a formidable cult following. The audiences comprise not only those who remember his tours with Autechre and Aphex Twin, but a burgeoning younger generation discovering Locust via the trip-hop revival, social media visibility, and a new wave of cloud rap artists sampling his foundational work.

LOCUST LIVE 2026

MAY

28 - Pappy & Harriet’s - Pioneerstown, CA

@ - w/ Dummy and Harmony Index