Massive Attack to release “a cache of work created in the recent past” – but not on Spotify

Massive Attack have said they intend to release a “cache” of music “created in the recent past” in 2026, but not on Spotify.

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The Bristol trip-hop legends have not released any new music since the self-released 2020 EP ‘Eutopia’, while their last full-length album remains 2010’s ‘Heligoland’.

In an interview last year with NME, the band’s Robert Del Naja confirmed that they had “some new music which we’ve been sitting on for four years”, adding: “Hopefully we’re going to be able to release it next year and do some gigs.”

Today (November 13), they shared an Instagram post in which they wrote: “From next year we will release a cache of work created in the recent past. Tracks will be available physically and digitally via a new label. With a Spotify exception.”

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They added that fans can receive announcements on their 2026 releases as well as special performances by joining their official WhatsApp channel here.

Massive Attack’s dispute with Spotify emerged earlier this year when they revealed that they had asked their label UMG to remove their music from the platform, following reports that the company’s CEO Daniel Ek had led a €600million (£524million) investment into Helsing, a Munich-based company creating drones and artificial intelligence for military operations.

In a statement at the time, the band said: “In light of the (reported) significant investments by [Spotify’s] CEO in a company producing military munition drones & Al technology integrated into fighter aircraft, Massive Attack have made a separate request to our label that our music be removed from the Spotify streaming service in all territories.”

They continued: “The economic burden that has long been placed on artists is now compounded by a moral & ethical burden, whereby the hard-earned money of fans & the creative endeavours of musicians ultimately funds lethal, dystopian technologies.”

Several other artists have made similar moves to remove their work from Spotify this year, including King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Deerhoof, Wu Lyf, Xiu Xiu and The Sabres Of Paradise.

In September, Ek announced that he would be stepping down as CEO on January 1, 2026, with Spotify co-presidents Alex Norström and Gustav Söderström set to take his place.

In their NME interview last year, the band also suggested that a “dispute at the label” had been a major factor in their new music being held up, while the new message confirms that the 2026 releases will be on a “new label”. The group’s studio albums so far have been released via Virgin Records and its imprint Circa, which was acquired by Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2012.

Del Naja said: “I hate sitting on stuff for too long because I’m the first person to get bored of it. I deliberately don’t play it for months so that I can maintain some enthusiasm for it. It’s good – I’m looking forward to it!”

Elsewhere, Massive Attack have been announced as playing at Primavera Sound next June, as well as Primavera Porto, and they denied that facial recognition had been used at their live shows this year.

The post Massive Attack to release “a cache of work created in the recent past” – but not on Spotify appeared first on NME.