Antony Szmierek Announces 'Decoding Birdsong,' Shares New Single 'Chalk'

Antony Szmierek is already moving past the afterglow of his debut. The Manchester-born poet, writer, and producer has announced his second album, Decoding Birdsong, which arrives Aug. 21 via Mushroom Music/Virgin Music Group, and he has paired the news with the new single "Chalk" and a fall UK and Ireland headline run.

Szmierek's official site is currently pointing fans toward the album pre-order and "Chalk," while Ticketmaster's artist page confirms the album title, release date, and label. The listing also frames the record as a collaborative step forward after 2025's Service Station at the End of the Universe, noting contributions from Pretty Girl, Los Bitchos, 1-800 GIRLS, Imogen and the Knife, and Ellur.

That guest list makes sense for Szmierek, whose lane has always sat a little sideways from standard singer-songwriter gravity. His writing can move like spoken-word indie, pub-night confession, and dance-floor monologue at the same time; the new-cycle language around electronic production and collaboration suggests Decoding Birdsong is being positioned as less of a reset than an expansion.

In comments published by NME, Szmierek described "Chalk" as a song partly sparked by Ronnie O'Sullivan and the documentary The Edge of Everything. "It's about the idea that chalking a cue makes a marginal difference to the outcome – a metaphor for chaos theory and the win-or-lose nature of the music industry," he said.

The headline dates begin Oct. 8 at O2 Academy Leeds and include stops in Nottingham, Oxford, London, Bournemouth, Newcastle, Manchester, and Dublin. NME's report also lists Cambridge, Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, and a Nov. 21 Manchester Apollo date with John Cooper Clarke, but those shows were not all visible on Ticketmaster's scraped listing during this run, so fans should confirm city-by-city ticket pages before planning around the full routing.

Listen to "Chalk" and check Szmierek's official channels for pre-order and ticket links.