A broken heart lit a fire in singer-songwriter-producer Ali John Meredith-Lacey, who decided to call his solo project Novo Amor—Portuguese for “new love”—in honour of music itself. Established in 2012, the name continues to serve as a muse. Born in 1991 in Wales, Lacey records, produces, engineers and mixes every Novo Amor release, and often writes alongside longtime collaborator Ed Tullett (a.k.a. Lowswimmer), whom he shared credits with on 2017’s acoustic stunner Heiress. The multi-instrumentalist perpetually seeks fresh inspiration through misty, ethereal soundscapes, most palpably in his surroundings. A deep evocation of place permeates through his work, within the lush indie folk of 2018’s Birthplace and 2020’s Cannot Be, Whatsoever and the sublime ambient compositions of 2022’s Antarctican Dream Machine, the latter written and recorded on the icy continent. Even within his self-made home studio, where he laid down tracks for 2024’s introspective Collapse List, Lacey creates a vivid world that feels both familiar and otherworldly.