
Portland-based singer-songwriter Alela Diane has announced a new album, Who’s Keeping Time? It’s the follow-up to 2022’s Looking Glass and due out on May 22 via Fluff & Gravy/Loose Music. She was inspired, in part, by the loss of folk legend Michael Hurley, who she knew well, last year. “I was absolutely gutted,” she says, adding, “It was an epiphany to realize how much I missed my community. I felt very clear about what I wanted in that moment: I want to be alive. I want to see live music. I want to play it.”
She co-produced Who’s Keeping Time? with Sam Weber, and it features Danny Austin-Manning (drums), Sebastian Owens (bass), Anna Tivel (vocals and violin), and Lucius’ Peter Lalish (guitar). See the cover art and tracklist below.
The first single is “California,” about which Diane says, “I wrote this song after a quick trip down to the tiny California town where I grew up. No matter how much time passes, part of my heart will always live among those golden hills. On this particular visit, I found myself talking to a woman who I clearly must have known in a former chapter of life, but I couldn’t place her. Time sure can move through like a wildfire. All that’s left are muted memories, elusive as ghosts.” Hear it below.
Diane will be on tour in Europe and the US from May through August. See all dates below.
ALELA DIANE – WHO’S KEEPING TIME? TRACKLIST
1. California
2. Galloping
3. In My Own Time
4. Dusty Roses
5. Could Be
6. Spring Is A Fine Time To DIe
7. Wide Open Spaces
8. Piss, Coffee, Blood or Wine
9. To Be Kind
10. Fragile As A Flame
11. Endless Waltz
ALELA DIANE: 2026 TOUR DATES
May 22 — Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik
May 23 — Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur
May 24 — Beverungen, DE @ Orange Blossom Festival
May 25 — Rotterdam, NL @ LantarenVenster
May 26 — Deventer, NL @ Burgerweeshuis
May 28 — London, UK @ Rough Trade Denmark Street
June 12 — Trout Lake, WA @ Trout Lake Hall
June 13 — Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
June 18 — Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern
July 3 — Nürnberg, DE @ St. Katharina Open Air
July 30-August 2 — Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon