Lim Orion sets alt-rock album ILK for October, previewed by single Futon

Lim Orion has released "Futon," the second preview of her forthcoming album ILK, The Line of Best Fit reported on August 10. The London-based artist's album is due October 2 via Dragonfruit Records, and the new song draws on the Japanese folklore idea of yokai, a mischievous spirit inhabiting a neglected futon that throws a party with the other furniture when its owner is out.

The Line of Best Fit described the result as a collision of 90s alt-rock and odd time signatures. Orion called the song "a rebellion against the feeling of being overlooked," and said it follows album opener "Story," released the previous month.

In contrast to the more minimalist, primitive sound of Orion's 2023 debut Cosmic Salt, ILK adds strings, field recordings and full-band energy, captured live in the studio across a couple of days.

Orion said the album's heart lies in the imagination that carried her through a period during lockdown when she felt she could not act, with each song serving as a different escape. "It's only now looking back across the lyrics I can see how they helped me to summon courage and to feel free," she said.

Orion plays a string of UK dates around the release, including Camp Wildfire in Kent on August 30, Brighton's Folklore Rooms on September 12, a full-band album launch at London's Strongroom Bar on October 2, and Margate's Tom Thumb Theatre on October 10. It's the latest addition to the release calendar and our rock coverage.