Kali Malone Announces New Album Recorded at Bach's Leipzig Church
The composer's upcoming LP, Burning Song, features guitarist Stephen O'Malley and cellist Lucy Railton, recorded on the Bach Organ at Thomaskirche in Leipzig. The album is her solo follow-up to 2024's All Life Long and includes the new single "Heavy With Fruit." A European tour supporting the release is scheduled for late 2026 and early 2027.
The recording session at Thomaskirche carries deep historical resonance, as the site served as Johann Sebastian Bach's professional home for nearly three decades and now holds his remains. Malone performed on the church's Bach Organ, a contemporary instrument constructed to reflect baroque-era tuning systems, lending the album a distinctive acoustic character shaped by the building's centuries-old architecture.
Burning Song reunites the same trio behind Malone's 2023 release Does Spring Hide Its Joy, with O'Malley and Railton contributing guitar and cello throughout the seven-track sequence. The album follows a productive period for Malone, who has issued collaborative records with Drew McDowall and Leila Bordreuil since her last solo effort, while her earlier work The Sacrificial Code received a reissue last year through Ideologic Organ.
This release could deepen interest in site-specific classical recording, particularly as contemporary composers increasingly seek historically meaningful venues that shape their sound. Malone's growing profile may introduce experimental organ music to broader audiences, especially younger listeners drawn to her collaborations with figures from metal and avant-garde scenes. The European tour's mix of churches and festivals suggests the work could bridge sacred music traditions and modern experimental practice, potentially expanding the cultural footprint of minimalist composition.