Review

By Liam Hughes | 08/04/2026

Suzanne Vega’s tenth studio album, Flying with Angels, touches down with the poise and introspection that have come to define her four-decade career. Released on 2 May 2025 through Cooking Vinyl, it is her first collection of wholly new material since 2014’s Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles Produced by long-time collaborator Gerry Leonard, the record finds Vega once again enlisting the deft musicality of Aaron Johnston’s tasteful drumming, Jeff Hill’s supple bass lines and Catherine Russell’s warm backing vocals to craft a sound that feels both familiar and subtly refreshed From the ominous scuttle of opening single “Rats” to the hushed reverie of “Speakers’ Corner,” Vega’s voice remains at once crystalline and knowing, guiding the listener through narratives steeped in quiet struggle and hard-won grace. Leonard’s production is sparing but effective, framing Vega’s acoustic guitar with an understated touch of electric texture and the occasional keyboard flourish from Daniel Mintseris and Jamie Edwards. Rather than chase trends, Flying with Angels draws strength from its restraint: these ten songs breathe in the spaces between notes as much as in the melodies themselves Lyrically, Vega is in top form, her keen eye for human detail undimmed by time. Whether contemplating the survival instincts of city-dwelling rodents or pondering the power of spoken word beneath the London sky, she imbues each composition with a poetic clarity that feels both personal and universal. In an era of over-produced epics, Flying with Angels is a timely reminder that the subtlest flights of imagination often leave the most indelible impressions. It’s a quietly triumphant return that will delight long-standing fans and invite new listeners into Vega’s ever-expanding world.