Star Powerhouse

  Rachael Yamagata has returned with her first new album in nearly a decade. Her latest single, “Backwards,” is out now and serves as the opening track to her upcoming record, Starlit Alchemy , set for release on October 3, 2025 , via Jullian Records. The track, originally conceived as part of a musical, has evolved into a deeply personal and cinematic statement. “‘Backwards’ is the ache of splitting paths when you know you’ve begun a new journey and are too far on it now to turn around,” Yamagata told FLOOD Magazine. “It’s the bittersweet excitement for what is to come and the realization of what must be left behind.” With its ambient textures and soulful warmth, Starlit Alchemy captures a journey of transformation, grief, resilience, and renewal. The 13-track album—her first since 2016’s Tightrope Walker —was written both before and during 2020, recorded largely in her Catskills home studio, and shaped by years of creative exploration. For Yamagata, Starlit Alchemy is more...

Photo credit: Laura Crosta  Rachael Yamagata is proud to announce her first new studio album in almost ten years, Starlit Alchemy (pre-save), due out on October 3 via Jullian Records. A fiercely independent artist with a voice both instantly recognizable and emotionally unflinching, Rachael Yamagata first emerged in the early 2000s with her critically acclaimed debut Happenstance . Over the next two decades, she built a loyal following on the strength of her raw, cinematic songwriting and soul-baring live performances—releasing a string of beloved records, including Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart , Chesapeake , and Tightrope Walker . Known for pairing bruising vulnerability with wry humor and unabashed grit, she has worked with artists as varied as Liz Phair, Toots and The Maytals, Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams, and Bright Eyes, all while consistently forging her own path outside the major-label system. Now, she returns with her most intuitive yet intentional work to date. Star...