Australian singer-songwriter Holly Throsby has announced her sixth studio album, Normal Magic, due for release on 4 September, while also sharing the new single Hold Please, a collaboration with acclaimed Melbourne artist Laura Jean.
The announcement marks Throsby’s return to recorded music following 2017’s After A Time. In the years since that album, the Sydney songwriter has expanded her career as an author, publishing the novels Cedar Valley and Clarke, while continuing to develop new music away from the spotlight.
The new record signals a notable shift in Throsby’s musical approach. Described as a self-produced collection of ten songs, Normal Magic moves beyond the predominantly acoustic palette that defined much of her earlier catalogue. The album incorporates synthesizers, programmed beats, electric guitars, saxophone and banjo, creating what Throsby describes as a broader sonic landscape while maintaining her focus on storytelling and lyrical detail.
Speaking about the album’s central theme, Throsby said the project grew from discussions about the relationship between everyday life and moments of wonder.
“This record stemmed from a conversation about what is normal and what is magic. Art making, for example, is quite magical and quite normal at the same time, and the concept expanded as the songs were written to be a kind of a celebration of the magic of normal life, little moments of beauty and wonder which can be so sustaining. A sunbeam or a bird or a moment of synchrony.”
The album was created with a new group of collaborators including Jordan Ireland of The Middle East, Helen Franzmann of Mess Esque and McKisko, Laura Jean, Oliver Mestitz of The Finks and Jake Core of Soda Eaves. Recording sessions took place across a variety of home studios, with much of the engineering completed at Stranded Studios in Bellambi. The final mixes were handled in Provence, France, by producer and engineer Burke Reid, whose credits include Courtney Barnett, The Drones and Julia Jacklin.
New single Hold Please offers another indication of the album’s direction. Co-written with Franzmann and featuring Laura Jean as a duet partner, the track blends dream-pop textures with a reflective lyric exploring themes of connection and loss.
“This is part love song and part love-lost song,” Throsby said. “I loved creating the sonic world for this, very dreamy. When I sent Laura Jean the final mix she said it sounds like we’re in a ‘huge sapphic chamber’, to which I really laughed; and am thrilled to have accomplished.”
Throsby’s return arrives after a lengthy period in which she balanced music with an increasingly successful literary career. Since emerging with her debut album On Night in 2004, she has earned ARIA nominations for Under The Town, A Loud Call and the children’s album See!, while also becoming one-third of the successful trio Seeker Lover Keeper alongside Sarah Blasko and Sally Seltmann.
Across her solo work and Seeker Lover Keeper recordings, Throsby has built a substantial audience, accumulating more than 70 million streams. Her novels, published by Allen & Unwin, have collectively sold more than 40,000 copies, with a fourth book expected in 2026.
With Gallery and Hold Please now available, Normal Magic presents the next chapter in a career that has consistently moved between music, literature and collaboration. The album will be released digitally and on vinyl on 4 September through Hobbledehoy Records.
Normal Magic Tracklisting
Wouldn’t It Be Good?
Gallery
Tell Me I’m Done
Normal Magic
Thinking
Hold Please (feat. Laura Jean)
Missing You
Flowers
Photoshoot (feat. McKisko)
All Of Our Sorrows
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