Loja

Orlando Weeks’ new album Loja (Portuguese for ‘store’) was written in both London and Lisbon. Recording began in earnest in January 2023 at the beautiful Chale Abbey Studios with longtime live collaborator Sergio Maschetzko as producer, supported by co-producer and engineer David Granshaw. In its latter stages, Nathan Jerkins (Bullion) contributed additional production and mixing.

Lead single “Dig”, featuring Rhian Teasdale (Wet Leg), is 3 minutes of half argument, long worn-out promises being remade and road weary offences being retaken. The record features a number of other key collaborators including Katy J Pearson, Tony Njoku, Oliver Hamilton (Caroline) and Alejandro Aranda (Scary Pool Party). The core musical contributions come from long standing live collaborators Sami El-Enany, Luca Caruso, William Doyle and Alexander Painter.

A love letter to his new home, lyrically Loja toys with both the fantastical and stark realism. There are sleeping giants in “Best Night” and the final song on the album, “Beautiful Place”, tells the story of a beach death. The novelty of a new city afforded Weeks the opportunity to romanticise his present and reevaluate his past.