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# Michael Kiwanuka Releases FUDGE, His Self-Produced Fifth Album
- URL: https://www.unknowndivide.com/michael-kiwanuka-fudge-self-produced-fifth-album/
- Published: 2026-10-23T17:49:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:50:06.000Z
- Description: Michael Kiwanuka's fifth album, FUDGE, is out now on Polydor Records. It is his first record produced by himself since his 2012 debut, made in a small home studio near Southampton and finished with producer Dom Monks and string arranger Rosie Danvers.
- Author: unknowndivide staff
- Tags: Music, #surfacing

Michael Kiwanuka has released [FUDGE](https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/FUDGE?ref=unknowndivide.com), his fifth studio album, out today, October 23, 2026, on Polydor Records. It is the first record since his 2012 debut, Home Again, that he produced himself rather than with his longtime collaborators Danger Mouse and Inflo, and it was recorded before the ongoing period of ill health that kept its release on hold for almost twelve months.

"Summer Clothes." Official video from Michael Kiwanuka

## Made in a shack outside Southampton

FUDGE grew slowly over three years, written almost alongside 2024's Small Changes. Kiwanuka set up a one-room studio near his home in Southampton, built from cob, an earthy natural building material, and spent his Mercury Prize money on a console to fill it. He and Joe Connell, the multi-instrumentalist from his live band who lives around the corner, named the room Dreamers.

The turning point came one evening after dinner, when a loose jam turned into "Love in My Heart," a seven-minute song that convinced him the side project was a real album. Many of the songs were captured in a single flowing take, and they run longer and looser than his recent work. The title, he explains, is about play and nerve at once: "When I think of fudge it's playful and childlike, which is good for creativity. But also it's a polite way to say I'm just going to do it."

## Twelve songs, finished with friends

When the songs left Dreamers, Kiwanuka took them to producer Dom Monks, who has worked with Laura Marling and Big Thief, and to his regular string arranger Rosie Danvers to finish what he calls "the posh stuff." Most of the record was recorded in Southampton and Frome. The album opens with an excerpt from an interview with the late jazz pianist Chick Corea about trusting your own sense of what is beautiful, and the cover is a bright psychedelic cartoon by Kiwanuka's old friend, the illustrator and animator Stevie Gee.

The 12 tracks are "Summer Clothes," "California," "Just Another Moment," "Drowning In Your Heart," "Love In My Heart," "Across The Sky," "Stars," "You Sent Me Flying," "Move In My Direction," "Steve's Paradise," "Sing" and "Swings And Roundabouts." Kiwanuka names the Beatles' Rubber Soul, Neil Young's On the Beach, Frank Ocean's Blonde and Shuggie Otis's Inspiration Information as touchstones. "Stars" dates back to the crisis of confidence that followed Home Again, while "Sing" speaks to his own doubts about whether to keep making music.

FUDGE is out now on streaming services and on vinyl, compact disc and cassette, including an exclusive pink double vinyl edition, through [Michael Kiwanuka's official store](https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/OfficialStore?ref=unknowndivide.com). All of his live commitments remain on hold.

## Our call

This one is Surfacing. Kiwanuka made one of the defining soul records of the past decade with his Mercury winning 2019 album, and FUDGE sounds like the most personal thing he has put out, a homemade record finished with care while he steps back to look after his health. Put it on from the top and let it run.

If warm, deep soul is your lane, our [Light in the Attic starter guide](https://www.unknowndivide.com/light-in-the-attic-records-starter-guide-essential-reissues/) and [Numero Group starter guide](https://www.unknowndivide.com/numero-group-starter-guide-essential-releases/) are good next stops. Planning to buy the vinyl? Start with our guide to the [best turntables for beginners](https://www.unknowndivide.com/best-turntables-for-beginners/).

[Listen to FUDGE](https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/FUDGE?ref=unknowndivide.com) · [Official store](https://michaelkiwanuka.lnk.to/OfficialStore?ref=unknowndivide.com) · [Watch Summer Clothes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyv7buFhdvk&ref=unknowndivide.com) · [Watch Sing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7esTGcAwxcM&ref=unknowndivide.com)