A raw, guitar-led turn from Zoh Amba that trades avant-garde abstraction for intimate storytelling rooted in small-town life.

Zoh Amba has announced details of their debut album on Matador Records, with Eyes Full set for release on 5 June. Alongside the announcement, Amba has shared the record’s lead single ‘Another Time’, arriving with an accompanying video.

Best known for their work as a saxophonist within New York’s experimental scene, Eyes Full marks a shift in approach. Rooted in Amba’s upbringing in Kingsport, Tennessee, the album leans into guitar-led songwriting, blending loose, blues-influenced acoustics with flashes of distorted electric and traces of Appalachian folk.

The record draws heavily on themes of visibility, identity and place, focusing on working-class life in small-town America. Across its 13 tracks, Amba explores characters and stories shaped by hardship, faith and survival, aiming to centre voices often pushed to the margins.

Having spent years moving between cities including San Francisco and New York, Amba’s connection to home remains central to the album’s direction. Eyes Full reflects a reconciliation with that past, both musically and lyrically, as they turn toward songwriting as a way of confronting personal history.

Recorded live at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, the album features a close-knit trio lineup. Amba is joined by guitarist Kevin Hyland and drummer Jim White, with sessions captured without overdubs following an extended period of rehearsal.

Sonically, the album moves between intensity and restraint, pairing abrasive, feedback-heavy passages with more stripped-back and intimate moments. Tracks such as ‘Southern Soil’ and ‘Emahoy’ highlight this contrast, balancing raw emotion with quieter reflection.

Zoh Amba will play a headline show at Nightclub 101 in New York on 17 April, before joining Courtney Barnett and Folk Bitch Trio on tour across the US later this summer.

Eyes Full is out 5 June via Matador Records.