Mark Van Hoen’s legendary electronic project Locust is back with a new album. Spectral+ arrives September 11, 2026 via TODO Records, bringing together an eclectic mix of influences—from Giorgio Moroder and Brian Eno to My Bloody Valentine and Boards of Canada—while pushing firmly into new territory.
Leading the announcement is the album’s first major preview, “Soul Sky,” a gripping collaboration with Queens rapper Griff Spex and vocalist Olive Kimoto. Driven by droning sirens, metallic synths, and a relentless heartbeat pulse, the track balances industrial grit with instant hooks, revealing a fresh edge to the Locust sound.
For Van Hoen, the song is also a nod to his roots. “Griff contacted me because he was a fan of my earlier Locust material,” he explains. “I used some of the same synths I’ve had since the early ’90s and the sampler from my 1995 album Truth Is Born of Arguments. It was my first time working directly with a rapper, and I’m very happy it was Griff.”
Griff Spex describes the track as a reflection on growth and letting go. “This song is a catalyst for a new door,” he says, capturing the feeling of moving beyond situations that no longer serve you.
The album follows last month’s “Long Distance Lover,” featuring Slowdive’s Neil Halstead and Irish vocalist Natasha Morrow, and arrives amid renewed excitement around Locust’s return to the stage. Since assembling a new live lineup with vocalist Olive Kimoto, Van Hoen has been debuting fresh material across select U.S. shows, attracting both longtime fans and a younger generation discovering Locust through the trip-hop revival and online culture.
More than three decades after first emerging from the UK electronic underground, Locust continues to evolve—and Spectral+ looks set to be one of the project’s most adventurous statements yet.
