Basia Bulat’s Basia’s Palace isn’t a grand estate, it’s something far more personal. It’s her home, her headspace, her late-night creative refuge. It’s a world where cat fur mingles with old vinyl, where nostalgia hums through MIDI soundscapes, and where the glow of a video game screen casts long shadows. It’s where memories of the past meet the possibilities of the future. It's also the name of her excellent new album, Basia's Palace.

The seeds of Basia’s Palace were planted in 2022, during a rare pause in Bulat’s life - a new home, a growing family, and quiet moments to reflect. She’d sneak away in the early hours, much like Leonard Cohen once did, except instead of a Casio, she turned to her MacBook and RPGs like Dragon Warrior 4. What emerged was unlike anything she had recorded before: shimmering synth landscapes, hushed melodies, and songs that felt like secret passages in an old game.

Co-produced by longtime collaborator Mark Lawson (Tall Tall Shadow and The Garden) and mixed by Tucker Martine (Beth Orton, Neko Case, The National), the album shifts away from Bulat’s live-band energy and into something more cinematic. Instead of crafting songs on guitar or piano, she built them from the ground up with MIDI, drawing from early Eurovision melodies, her great uncle’s Polish LPs, and a deep love for sonic storytelling.

The result is a dreamy, shape-shifting collection. “My Angel” drifts between mystery and romance with swirling synths and strings arranged by Drew Jurecka (Dua Lipa, Alvvays). “Laughter” grows from an intimate garden scene into something vast and luminous. “Disco Polo” is a long-overdue nod to the Polish dance music her father adored. And “Baby,” a song that took years to finish, transforms personal frustration into an elegant dancefloor confession: “Baby, baby, baby… I don’t learn!”

Throughout the album, Bulat embraces the thrill of transformation. Whether she’s channeling Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot or evoking the glossy cool of the Cardigans and Air, Basia’s Palace moves fluidly through time and memory, always reaching for something just beyond the veil.

For an artist who has shared stages with Nick Cave, Sufjan Stevens, and St. Vincent, reimagined her work with orchestral arrangements, and earned multiple Polaris Prize nominations, Basia’s Palace feels like a bold new step - an invitation into the quiet, magical hours where music takes shape.