Two singular voices from the avant-garde, Phew and Danielle de Picciotto, have announced details of their first collaboration, Paper Masks, set for release on 20 February 2026 via Mute.
Developing quietly over nearly five years, what began as an experiment between friends gradually evolved into a full-length album that fuses Phew’s electronics and vocals with Danielle de Picciotto’s poetry and voice. Phew composed and arranged the music at her studio in Japan, weaving the vocals that Danielle sent from Berlin.
Phew explains, “I made tracks without looking at the lyrics, just listening to her voice. I believe that the role of art is to evoke the power to imagine the unspoken, the unheard sounds. I don’t know if it worked. I made this album in the hope that it would create a butterfly effect in the world.”
Danielle de Picciotto goes on to say, “I started writing poetry at a very early age, I love language, stretching and kneading words into new shapes, especially as I grew up tri-lingial . Phew does this with sound and the thought of having my spoken word radically distorted was an invitation I could not refuse.”
Paper Masks is released on limited edition jellyfish coloured vinyl and CD on 20 February 2026 via Mute.
