Antony Szmierek has announced sophomore album ‘Decoding Birdsong’ with the enlightening new single ‘Chalk’ and details of a UK headline tour.
The new record will be the first from the Manchester-born poet, writer, and producer since his 2025 debut album ‘Service Station at the End of the Universe’, and is set to arrive on August 21 via Mushroom Music / Virgin Music Group. Visit here to pre-order.
It is set to see Szmierek showcase the evolution in his sound and combine deep, personal touchstones with electronic elements, immersive production and sharp-tongued lyricism. It also welcomes a new sense of collaboration – with guest appearances coming from Pretty Girl, Los Bitchos, 1-800 GIRLS, Imogen And The Knife and Ellur.
It will feature the recently released single ‘The Heron’, and today (Tuesday May 5), the singer also drops the expansive track ‘Chalk’.
The single is led by an old-school electronic feel, and comes inspired by the snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan and the documentary about him, The Edge of Everything.
“It’s about the idea that chalking a cue makes a marginal difference to the outcome – a metaphor for chaos theory and the win-or-lose nature of the music industry,” Szmierek said.
As for the record as a whole, the songwriter revealed that it is inspired by “choosing to believe in something” and seeing “coincidence as a religion”.
“Making your own luck in the face of loneliness and doubt. The smallest things can feel seminal, seismic and life affirming if you just choose to lean in, but it also asks if this is a dangerous way to live,” he revealed.
“What happens when your numbers come in? What are the consequences of luck? Should you listen to the birds, or are you only ever going to hear what you want to hear? To help us explore this: a heron, dice, a plummeting airplane, the late-night TV show ‘Aussie Gold Hunters’ and a fibreglass replica of Godzilla.”
Following on from his slot at Glastonbury, debut headline shows, and appearing on Jools Holland last year in celebration of the debut album, Szmierek has now announced a new UK headline tour, which includes a slot at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum.
Dates kick off in Leeds in October, and continue with stops in Nottingham, Cambridge, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Manchester and more throughout the month, before closing with a slot at Manchester’s Apollo in November, where John Cooper Clarke will join as a special guest.
Before then, the Manchester artist has some US and European tour dates for later this month, support slots with The Streets, and festival slots at Big Feastival, Sziget and more. Visit here for tickets.
Antony Szmierek’s new UK headline tour dates are:
OCTOBER
8 — O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds, UK
9 — The Level, Nottingham, UK
11 — Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK
12 — O2 Academy Oxford, Oxford, UK
14 — CHALK, Brighton, UK
15 — O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
16 — O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth, UK
17 — O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, UK
20 — Queen Margaret Union (QMU), Glasgow, UK
21 — Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
23 — Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK
28 — The Button Factory, Dublin, IE
NOVEMBER
21 — Manchester Apollo (w/ John Cooper Clarke), Manchester, UK
NME reviewed Szmierek’s debut album ‘Service Station At The End Of The Universe’ when it landed last year. In a four-star review, we wrote that the record “isn’t the mark of an artist finding his sound, but a confident, authentic trailblazer who knows his craft inside out.”
Since then, the singer has performed as part of Independent Venue Week 2026 – taking to the stage at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach at the start of the year.