Newton Faulkner - Octopus

After a five-year hiatus from releasing new music, Newton Faulkner returns with his eighth studio album, ‘OCTOPUS’, his first with Cooking Vinyl Records set for release 19th September 2025.

The acclaimed British singer-songwriter marked this new chapter in November 2024 when he cut his iconic ginger dreadlocks during the finale of his tour at London's Islington Assembly Hall. The haircut, which took place during an acoustic performance of hit single Dream Catch Me, benefited Teenage Cancer Trust while symbolising a new direction for Faulkner, both visually and musically.

For Faulkner, this transformation represents more than a simple change in appearance. "I felt like my hair was tying me to the past," he explains. "The guy that sang 'Dream Catch Me' from under a large pile of hair is a distant memory and has been for a while." The artist describes his new direction as "freedom from the past" and embraces authenticity in his creative choices. "This is about letting go, there is no part of this record that is trying to recreate anywhere I've been before, however well it might have gone. This is me, this is my head, this is what I love."

Although only just turning 40, Faulkner's impressive career spans nearly two decades, beginning with his breakthrough debut album Hand Built by Robots (2007), which reached #1 in the UK charts and achieved double-platinum status. His success continued with Rebuilt by Humans (2009) peaking at #3 and earning Gold certification, followed by his second UK #1 album Write It on Your Skin (2012). His subsequent releases include Studio Zoo (2013), Human Love (2015), Hit the Ground Running (2017), and Interference (Of Light) (2021), which was released during the challenging conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic