Oli XL surprise-releases new project Lick the Lens – Pt. 1

It’s already been six years since Oli XL shared Rogue Intruder, Soul Enhancer, one of the defining electronic music albums of that decade. His epic, fragmented convergence of glitch and techno had a vast influence, and arguably represents a creative highwater mark of the mid ’00s electro revivalism it set the stage for. Unfortunately, his road to a follow-up has not been a smooth one. Oli shared two singles in 2021, then two years later said he’d been “writing rewriting & rerewriting an album.”

More recently Oli suggested that his label Warp Records was preventing him from releasing new music. and on August 27, promised his fans and Warp that he’d drop at 3 p.m. U.K., officially or through a leak. Surprisingly, he has officially dropped. Even more surprisingly, it’s not a single, but a seven track project called Lick the Lens – Pt. 1.

The new songs are full of exciting features: Ecco2K, Chanel Beads, james K, Ouri, and Valeria Litvakov all have credited appearances. According to Oli’s artist page at Warp, it’s the first instalment in a multi-part series. “No singles!!!,” Oli writes. “These songs belong together — so instead, I’m releasing the album in episodes. This is Part 1!! [+ I’ve always loved K-pop’s mini-album format of 6–7 tracks: a perfect little world to step into.]”

Watch the music video for “Love & Pop” below, followed by full streams of the project.