Radie Peat Announces Debut Solo Album No Human Tongue Can Tell Alongside International Tour Dates

Radie Peat, widely recognized as a defining voice in contemporary folk music through her work with the Mercury-nominated band Lankum and the experimental quartet ǬXN, has officially announced her debut solo album. Titled No Human Tongue Can Tell, the nine-track record is scheduled for release on November 13th via Rough Trade Records. Alongside the album announcement, Peat has released a striking new single, The Moon and Stars, and expanded her upcoming live itinerary with prominent international headline dates, including a performance at London’s Barbican and La Trabendo in Paris.

The announcement marks a significant milestone in Peat’s career, transitioning from her collaborative projects—which have fundamentally reshaped the landscape of modern Irish folk and experimental music—into a deeply personal, self-contained artistic statement.

The Genesis of a Solo Vision

The roots of No Human Tongue Can Tell stretch back decades, drawing inspiration from an unlikely source in Peat’s early adulthood. Reflecting on the creative process, Peat notes that the ambition to record a solo project crystallized when she was in her twenties after watching a documentary about Mike Oldfield recording Tubular Bells. The concept of writing and playing all intersecting instrumental parts appealed to her desire to test her own limits.

"I found the idea of being limited by your own mind and abilities, with all the blind spots and personal preferences, very appealing," Peat explained.

To realize this ambitious vision, Peat collaborated with producer John "Spud" Murphy, a frequent creative partner who previously worked with her on ǬXN’s acclaimed debut CYRM. Peat acknowledged Murphy’s critical role in the project’s realization, stating that without his patience and technical talent, the record simply would not exist.

The album’s nine tracks collectively explore intricate themes of female endurance, historical struggle, and love. Among the tracklist is Still I Love Him, a traditional song discovered by John Francis Flynn in the Irish Traditional Music Archives, which Peat released as her debut solo single in July.

The Moon and Stars: Rewriting Narrative and History

The newly released single, The Moon and Stars, serves as a powerful centerpiece for the forthcoming album. In crafting the song, Peat significantly rewrote portions of the traditional lyrics to center a female perspective on historical trauma and societal constraints.

Among the revised lines is the poignant declaration: "I wish I’d never seen your face or heard your lying tongue."

Peat has highlighted the intentional inclusion of historical subtext within the track, noting that the lyrics contain coded references to unwanted pregnancies, historical abortions, and the use of rue—an herb historically utilized to induce miscarriages. By embedding these elements, Peat aims to forge a visceral connection between the listener and the lived experiences of women through the ages.

Furthermore, Peat draws a direct line from the song’s themes to classic works of Irish theatre. Specifically, lines referencing screeching and roaring were inspired by the harrowing final scene of John B. Keane’s 1959 play Sive, in which a young protagonist chooses to drown herself in a bog rather than submit to an arranged marriage. Peat channels this desperation into the track’s chorus, amplifying a tradition of defiance and sorrow.

The single is accompanied by an official music video directed by Peter Eason Daniels, further visualising the stark, claustrophobic atmosphere characteristic of Peat’s musical aesthetic.

Context and Critical Acclaim in Contemporary Folk

Peat’s transition to a solo career occurs against the backdrop of critical and commercial success with her primary musical vehicles. Over the past several years, Lankum and ǬXN have challenged conventional boundaries within the traditional folk genre, earning widespread international acclaim.

Lankum’s 2023 album, False Lankum, received a Mercury Prize nomination and an Ivor Novello Award, praised by critics for its brutal honesty, atmospheric fugues, and uncompromising sonic architecture. Similarly, ǬXN’s debut album CYRM—featuring Peat alongside Katie Kim, Eleanor Myler, and John Murphy—was celebrated for its rejection of folk stereotypes, functioning as an experimental monolith within the genre.

Music critics have frequently observed that Peat’s vocal delivery possesses a rare capacity to channel collective ancestral memory. Describing her artistic approach, commentators note that Peat acts as a conduit for centuries of human experience, absorbing the generational weight of traditional songs and projecting them with contemporary urgency. This ability to synthesize past and present is expected to define the overarching ethos of No Human Tongue Can Tell.

Expanded Tour Itinerary and Live Performances

To support the release of her debut album, Peat has curated an extensive series of live performances across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and continental Europe.

Demand for the tour has been immediate. Her upcoming performance at the Union Chapel in London on November 3rd, 2026, quickly sold out, prompting the announcement of an additional, high-profile London date at The Barbican on May 19th, 2027. Additionally, Peat has scheduled a concert at La Trabendo in Paris on February 1st, 2027.

Tickets for the newly announced London and Paris dates are scheduled to go on sale to the general public on Friday, September 18th, at 10:00 AM local time.

Complete Live Dates:

• November 3, 2026 – Union Chapel, London, UK (SOLD OUT)
• November 20, 2026 – Vicar St., Dublin, Ireland
• January 31, 2027 – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• February 1, 2027 – La Trabendo, Paris, France
• May 19, 2027 – The Barbican, London, UK

Industry Implications and Outlook

The release of No Human Tongue Can Tell represents more than a side project for Radie Peat; it establishes her formidable capabilities as a solo composer, multi-instrumentalist, and interpretive historian of folk music. By blending traditional material with fiercely modern artistic independence, Peat is positioned to further solidify her status as one of the most vital and uncompromising voices in contemporary music.

As pre-orders open via Rough Trade Records ahead of the November 13th release date, industry analysts and music critics anticipate that the album will feature prominently in end-of-year critical lists, cementing Peat’s enduring influence on the global folk and experimental scenes.