Darren Hayes / Homosexual (Limited Turquoise Vinyl)

Darren Hayes continues to flourish with the release of his first new album in over 10 years. 'Homosexual' was written, recorded, performed and produced entirely by Hayes over a period of two years from his base of Los Angeles.

The project follows in the tradition of true break-away solo projects, as Hayes explains, ""The process brought me back to my teen experience of listening to albums like 'Faith' by George Michael or 'Sign O The Times' by Prince. I wanted to convey that same intimacy and complete artistic control and freedom. Rebellious emancipation was something I was desperate to experience in both my personal and public life"".

He's in confession mode, revisiting his painful teenage years, examining his relationship to his sexuality and reclaiming the experience of surviving a violent childhood and bullying; ridding himself of shame through the lens of queer joy. There's a deliberate nostalgic musical nod to the safety of the pre-2000's dance floors and queer sub-cultures that were the soundtrack to his personal coming out story. It's also a deeply personal insight into relationships at mid-life, set against a musical backdrop of synthwave and post-disco.