Designer follows 4ad-debut Party, which was praised by The New York Times as “quiet, cryptic, utterly arresting…[and] riveting.” NPR said Harding is “haunting” while Rolling Stone likened her to “Nico in a private karaoke room singing Jewel until closing.”

The album garnered a performance on Later….With Jools Holland and gained a fan in Lorde who said “Aldous Harding is the most interesting musician around.”

Designer finds the New Zealander hitting her creative stride. After Party, Harding came off a 100-date tour last summer and went straight into the studio with a collection of songs written on the road. Reuniting with John Parish, producer of Party, Harding spent 15 days recording and 10 days mixing at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth and Bristol’s J&J Studio and Playpen.

From the bold strokes of opening track ‘Fixture Picture’, there is an overriding sense of an enigmatic artist confident in their work, with contributions from Huw Evans (H. Hawkline), Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo), drummer Gwion Llewelyn and violinist Clare Mactaggart broadening and complimenting Harding’s rich and timeless songwriting.