After more than a year of anticipation, Claptone has officially announced his fourth studio album, Wanderer, set for release on May 8, 2026 via his Golden Path imprint in partnership with Warner ADA. The record arrives as both a continuation and a transformation—deepening the dreamlike universe that has defined Claptone’s artistic identity while subtly reshaping it with new textures, collaborators, and emotional nuance.
Wanderer feels less like a bold reinvention and more like a confident evolution. Across its 11 tracks, Claptone expands his sonic language with restraint and intention. Analogue warmth, organic instrumentation, and finely layered atmospheres weave through his trademark melodic house foundations, creating a body of work that feels fresh without losing its unmistakable DNA. The album reveals an artist increasingly comfortable stepping beyond peak-time club dynamics, exploring a more introspective and revealing space while still honoring the melodic sensibility that has carried him to the top of the global dance scene.
“Rather than chasing immediacy, Wanderer exists in the fragile tension between clarity and haze, dream and reality,” Claptone explains. “It’s introspective without retreating inward, emotional without losing precision.”
That balance—between subtlety and accessibility—defines the album’s character. Each track feels alive and breathing, gently reshaping the listener’s moment instead of demanding their attention.
The journey toward Wanderer began throughout 2025 with a series of carefully chosen singles that hinted at the album’s atmospheric architecture. Put Your Love On Me featuring Sea Girls, Turn Up The Love with Crystal Fighters, and Phantasy featuring Raphaella introduced a warmer, more expansive emotional palette. These tracks balanced finely tuned melodies with an understated club pulse, signaling an evolving artistic language rather than a sudden stylistic shift.
That momentum continued into 2026 with the release of Black and Gold, featuring the sensual vocals of Hannah Boleyn. The track quickly gained support from Capital Dance, BBC Radio 1’s Danny Howard, and Kiss FM, further cementing Wanderer as a project built on atmosphere, patience, and emotional resonance. Additional chapters of the album are set to unfold in the months leading up to its release, offering listeners a gradual invitation into Claptone’s parallel sonic world.
“In an era of overexposure, Wanderer embraces the power of the unknown,” Claptone says. “It offers escape without detachment, introspection without isolation.” That ethos reflects a mature artistic outlook—one that values mystery, curiosity, and the quiet moments where beauty lingers just out of reach.
Claptone’s steady output over the past decade provides important context for this next chapter. Following the acclaimed trilogy of Charmer (2015), Fantast (2018), and Closer (2021), his creative scope has continued to widen. Recent highlights include the launch of his club-focused Golden Recordings label in 2023, a celebrated collaboration with Alison Goldfrapp, and a 2025 rework of Chicane’s iconic Saltwater. Alongside his studio work, Claptone’s touring schedule remains relentless, spanning major festivals and venues across Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia.
His global presence is further reinforced by the renewal of his residency at Club Chinois in Ibiza for an extended season later this year, and his continued recognition within the industry. Currently ranked #32 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs—after five consecutive years as the world’s #1 House DJ—Claptone remains one of electronic music’s most distinctive and enduring creative forces.
With Wanderer, Claptone doesn’t chase trends or nostalgia. Instead, he invites listeners into his most open and welcoming artistic vision yet—one that fuses familiar melodic elegance with unexpected emotional depth. It’s the sound of an artist still evolving, drawing confidently from years of experience while remaining curious, receptive, and unafraid to wander into new territory.
