Lizzy McAlpine is officially entering a new musical chapter. On July 20, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter announced her fourth studio album, Angel, confirming that the project will arrive on September 18 through RCA Records.
The announcement also revealed that the album’s lead single, “The Light in the Painting,” will be released on Thursday, July 23, alongside a music video co-directed by McAlpine and longtime collaborator Neema Sadeghi. According to McAlpine, the track was the very first song she wrote for the new album nearly two years ago and serves as the perfect introduction to the album’s world.
“I wrote ‘The Light in the Painting’ about the euphoric beginning of a new connection,” she said in a statement. “It feels like the perfect introduction to the world we’ve built for Angel.”
Recorded over nearly two years in and around Los Angeles, Angel reunites Lizzy McAlpine with longtime collaborators Mason Stoops and Taylor Mackall, who also produced her acclaimed 2024 album Older. The new album is described as a significant sonic evolution, blending influences from 1970s Laurel Canyon folk with modern indie music while exploring themes of self-discovery, love, heartbreak, friendship and finding a way back to oneself.
The artwork accompanying the announcement reflects that creative direction. Rather than featuring a portrait, McAlpine unveiled an abstract cover filled with swirling shades of red, pink, yellow, green and blue, hinting at a colorful and emotionally expansive era.
The album follows a transformative period in McAlpine’s career. After releasing Older in April 2024, she continued writing new material while touring before expanding into acting. Between March 2025 and June 2026, she made her Broadway debut as Nellie Collins in Floyd Collins and later appeared in the drama film Only What We Carry, which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival. Earlier this year, she also released a standalone cover of the traditional classic “The House of the Rising Sun.”
Older marked McAlpine’s major-label debut and earned widespread critical praise for its maturity and intimate songwriting. The album reached the Billboard 200, while its deluxe edition, Older (and Wiser), produced several RIAA-certified tracks, including Platinum-certified “Spring Into Summer” and Gold-certified “Pushing It Down and Praying” and “Staying.”
Photo: Keith Oshiro
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