Instant Holograms on Metal Film
Instant Holograms on Metal Film is the eleventh studio album by English-French rock band Stereolab. It was released on 23 May 2025 through Duophonic UHF Disks and Warp Records. It marked their first studio album in nearly 15 years, following Not Music.
Background and release
Stereolab started teasing the record in early April 2025, via a wordsearch image sent to subscribers of their Lab Report newsletter as well as a series of Instagram posts. On 2 April, 16 years to the day that the group announced their indefinite hiatus, fans received a package called "unsolicited Stereolab material" comprising the lead single "Aerial Troubles" alongside the instrumental. Additionally, posters of the band's name appeared in major cities around the world. Stereolab announced their eleventh studio album on 8 April, which marks their return after a 15 year wait. "Aerial Troubles", a song that features their "signature otherworldly, radiant groove", received an official release the same day alongside a "retro" music video directed by Laurent Askienazy.Instant Holograms on Metal Film includes 13 tracks, all of which were written by Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier and performed by the duo alongside Andy Ramsay, Joe Watson and Xavi Muñoz of the group's 2025 touring lineup. It features contributions by Cooper Crain and Rob Frye of Bitchin Bajas, Ben LaMar Gay of International Anthem, Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf of Cavern of Anti-Matter, Marie Merlet and Molly Hansen Read. The album was released as a double vinyl LP, available in standard and coloured variants as well as on CD. Instant Holograms on Metal Film will be supported by a tour through Europe, North America and the United Kingdom from May to December 2025.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.Stereolab
- Andy Ramsay – drums, EMS synthesizer, Wasp, Roland Jupiter-4, Electro-Harmonix DRM15, Ace Tone, Soundmaster Latin Percussion, Watford Electronics, Vox drum machine, Rainger Snare Trap, TR-606, Boss DR-110, [Audio Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing (recorded music)|mixing]
- Lætitia Sadier – vocals, keyboards, synthesizer, trombone, guitar, mixing
- Joe Watson – Solina Strings, Vox Jaguar, Hohner Symphonic 30N, RMI 368X Electrapiano, Roland System-100M, Korg MS-20, Wurlitzer piano, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha Portatone, EMS Synthi, acoustic piano, Moog Matriarch, Prophet-5, Hohner Clavinet, modular synthesizer, Wasp, Mellotron, backing vocals, mixing
- Xavi Muñoz – Fender Bass VI, Fender Precision Bass, backing vocals, mixing
- Timothy Gane – electric guitar, 12-string guitar, Vermona organ, Roland SH5, mixing
Additional contributors
- Cooper Crain – Cwejman SM-1, Korg MS-20, TR-606, Roland Jupiter-4, Oberheim SEM, Roland JP-8000, Mellotron, Moog Micromoog, TR-707, general filtering, recording, engineering, mixing
- Rob Frye – saxophone, woodwinds, clarinets, flutes, bass clarinet, electronics
- Ben LaMar Gay – cornet
- Ric Elsworth – percussion, hand drums, marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel
- Holger Zapf – additional electronics ; ancient dabbling, treatments
- Marie Merlet – backing vocals
- Molly Read – special guest backing vocals
- Bo Kondren – mastering
- Vanina Schmitt – sleeve design