Shida Shahabi Announces First Light At Hand
Shahabi's new album features PJ Harvey on the lead single "Wreath," an elemental drone track.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Folk
Shida Shahabi has announced her album First Light At Hand, due out March 5 on Still Light. The lead single "Wreath," a six-and-a-half-minute elemental drone track, was co-written with and features vocals from PJ Harvey.
Why it matters
The collaboration brings together two artists whose meeting began at the Gunnersbury Park Festival, which Harvey curated. It marks a notable pairing within the experimental folk and drone scene.
The lead single "Wreath" runs six and a half minutes, and PJ Harvey's most recent LP, I Inside The Old Year Dying, came out in 2023. The full album's tracklist and additional guest contributions have not been detailed in the announcement.
The players
PJ Harvey
An English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for a long career spanning alternative rock and folk, who co-wrote and sings on "Wreath."
Shida Shahabi
A Stockholm-based musician whose work centers on drone and elemental soundscapes, and who is releasing the album First Light At Hand.
Still Light
The record label releasing First Light At Hand on March 5.
The details
Shahabi sent Harvey a piece of music that became "Wreath," and Harvey wrote a song structure from freeform words Shahabi composed in response to the music. The two artists first met at the Gunnersbury Park Festival, which Harvey curated and to which she booked Shahabi.
Timeline
Two years before the announcement: Harvey curated the Gunnersbury Park Festival, where she and Shahabi met.
October 2026: Oliver Leith released Doom And The Dooms, which features Harvey's contributions.
November 10, 2026: Shahabi announced First Light At Hand and the single "Wreath."
March 5, 2027: First Light At Hand is scheduled for release on Still Light.
Season Trajectory
Harvey's 2023 LP I Inside The Old Year Dying marked a recent solo release, and her 2026 contributions to Oliver Leith's Doom And The Dooms and Shahabi's "Wreath" extend a pattern of guest work across the experimental folk scene. The pairing places Harvey's voice within a drone-based idiom that differs from her earlier songwriting.
Listeners will be able to hear the full album from its March 5 release on Still Light. The lead single "Wreath" is available now as a preview of the project.
The takeaway
Collaborations between artists who meet through curated festival lineups can produce work that bridges separate corners of the folk and experimental scenes. Listeners interested in this release may find it useful to follow the label and artists directly for the full album details.
What happens next
First Light At Hand is scheduled for release on March 5, 2027, on Still Light.
Further reading
For more context on the sound behind this release, explore the Folk section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Stereogum.
