Mick Harvey and Amanda Acevedo have confirmed 4 September as the release date for their third album together, ‘Psychedelia in White’, out through Mute Records. The record follows on from June’s announcement and lead single ‘Perfect Storm’, and marks a shift in the duo’s approach: where their debut ‘Phantasmagoria in Blue’ and 2026’s ‘Golden Mirrors (The Uncovered Sessions Vol. 1)’ were predominantly reinterpretations, ‘Psychedelia in White’ comprises seven original works, written and recorded across Australia and Chile.

They have released the second single from the album, ‘Song For Aurora’ as a tasty single treat in advance. It’s a sparkling, thrilling track that blisted with energy and swagger.

Acevado says:

I wrote the lyrics of ‘Perfect Storm’ after Peter McNestry sent me an early instrumental of his composition with that title. His music took my imagination to a very specific place, and it was easy for me to know what I needed to write. It’s a journey and a statement of confidence and playfulness, mixed with a dark stormy feeling. The Storm starts to develop slowly and as it grows and grows its presence becomes impossible to ignore.

There are clear nods to Marc Bolan in the lyrics and a psychedelic tinge:

I’m a labourer of love
In my Persian gloves
I’m a two penny prince
I’ll give you all my love
For my Aurora, my Planet Queen
I’ll be a revolution machine

Harvey adds:

This was created a couple of years back by Amanda and a Canadian called Peter McNestry who runs a musical excursion called Pink Elephants. They made the track through file exchanges, and once we decided to include it on the album project, I worked extensively on the original recordings adding guitars, sound effects and backing vocals.

There are elements of glam, gospel and psychedelia with Harvey’s delivery redolent of the type of sardonic delivery effected by Robert Forster (The Go-Betweens) with layers of choruses in the distance. It’s accompanied by a fittingly psychedelic video:

The new material carries over some of the thematic terrain of the duo’s earlier records — mythology, love and loss recur — but pushes further into hope, chaos and mysticism, with an overarching preoccupation with finding safe ground amid outside disorder. That sense of myth-making extends to the album’s artwork, a striking illustration of a horned, swan-cradling figure set against a stormy classical landscape, half Greek ruin, half fever dream.

Harvey’s career needs little introduction to anyone who has followed Australian independent music over the past five decades: from Melbourne’s late-1970s post-punk underground through The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and a prolific solo and collaborative catalogue since, he’s remained one of the country’s most significant and quietly constant creative forces — songwriter, producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist in equal measure. [Read my interview with Harvey here], recorded around the release of his 2024 solo album ‘Five Ways to Say Goodbye’, in which he spoke about wild bandmates, leaving the Bad Seeds, mortality and pride.

Acevedo is a multidisciplinary artist from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, who met Harvey in Mexico City several years ago — he was on tour with PJ Harvey, she was studying film — though it wasn’t until 2021 that the pair’s collaborative project properly took shape. Since then they’ve built a real international following, playing live across Europe, the UK, New Zealand and Australia, and recently supporting Stereolab on their Australian dates.

In support of ‘Psychedelia in White’, Harvey and Acevedo head back to the UK and Europe in October and November, supporting Mercury Rev through the UK, Ireland and Europe before a run of headline dates through Scandinavia closing with a London show at the 100 Club.

‘Psychedelia in White’ is out 4 September through Mute Records and you can pre-order through the link below.

You can revisit ‘Perfect Storm’, the album’s first taste, here, and my 2024 interview with Mick Harvey here.

Feature Photograph: Alex Hallag

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