Katherine Priddy has announced the release of her third album, “These Frightening Machines“, which comes out on March 6, 2026 via Cooking Vinyl. The new record follows Priddy’s highly acclaimed debut “The Eternal Rocks Beneath” and sophomore LP “The Pendulum Swing”, which firmly established her as one of the most compelling artists on the contemporary British music scene.
First single ‘Matches’, “a feminist anthem”, is out now – you can listen to it below, and in celebration of the new release, Priddy will take to the road in April and May next year for a lengthy UK headline tour. The albus is available to pre-order which gives priority access to gig tickets.
The Birmingham folk artist’s exceptional voice shines through on a confident, expansive second album themed around the pull and push of home
It turns out the second album really is difficult,” says Katherine Priddy of this follow-up to her justly praised 2021 debut, The Eternal Rocks Beneath. The struggles of the Birmingham-born singer-songwriter are, however, not much in evidence. Her voice is remarkable, the delivery of her songs more poised and their accompaniments richer – a blend of guitars (both picked and jangling), cello, violin, brass and synth overseen by producer Simon Weaver. That the record is less startling than its predecessor is down to a lack of the arresting imagery Priddy pulled out on early standouts such as Wolf and Icarus.
Instead, The Pendulum Swing is a more consistent and domestic creation, its title referencing the urge to leave and change, and the opposing pull to return to the familiar. As much applies to tracks such as First House on the Left, where Priddy looks back at a “boat made of old bricks and mortar”, and family tributes Father of Two and Walnut Shell. Themes of arrival and departure are also present in several love songs. Does She Hold You Like I Did could be the title of a bitter country song, but its anguish is gently and eloquently confessed, while Anyway, Always and Words of Mine are similarly nuanced. A rich, thoughtful creation.
