Arborist, the musical outlet of singer-songwriter Mark McCambridge, has announced a new album, Looking For Love, will be released via Fika Recordings on 16th October 2026 – Looking For Love is Arborist’s first album to be self-produced by McCambridge, largely from his home studio in Belfast. It’s a different kind of record for him, as previously he has always sought collaboration, whether it be with Kim Deal, who chose to sing intertwined harmony on his debut single Twisted Arrow, or recording in The Curfew Tower owned by The KLF’s Bill Drummond. This time, with no outside producer steering the way, McCambridge “found that the quiet hours were where he felt most at ease, despite periods of trial and error and, by his own admission, moments of feeling genuinely lost in it all.”
Despite playing many of the parts himself, McCambridge still called upon old friends from the community around him; Spacebomb’s resident bassist Cameron Ralston(Bonnie Light Horseman, Hiss Golden Messenger) again features throughout the record, alongside Eamon Ferris (The Waterboys) on drums, with others drawn from Belfast’s music scene.
The album was engineered by longtime collaborator Ben McAuley (Van Morrison) and mixed by Jimmy Robertson (Anna Calvi, Beth Gibbons, Fat Dog). The results have been described as “devastating and uplifting in equal measure, calling to mind albums such as Songs Ohia’s Magnolia Electric Co., The Divine Comedy’s Regeneration, The Blue Nile’s Hats and Wilco’s Ode to Joy, as well as early-70s records from John Cale, John Lennon and Bill Fay”.
Pre-save/ pre-order links can be found here.
Arborist has released the single The Taming of Horses, with lush Hammond organ adding a certain sophistication to a song that is sprawling in theme. It was written back in 2022, during late nights watching Jacob Brownowski’s landmark 70s epic documentary series The Ascent of Man, which McCambridge describes as “just sensational television that we can show to Extraterrestrials when they come, to get them up to speed.” The song deals with humanity’s proclivity to repeat its mistakes.
You can see the video below.
Arborist will play some tour dates in the UK and Ireland in October and November, which are listed below, with tickets available here.
Arborist tour dates 2026:
15th October – The Harrison, Belfast
25-27th October – Boia Festival, St.David’s, Wales
5th November – Cleere’s, Kilkenny, Ireland
6th November – Phil Grimes, Waterford, Ireland
12th Nov – The Cove, Hastings, England
15th Nov – The Waiting Room, London, England
17th Nov – Folklore Rooms, Brighton, England
19th Nov – The Empire, Belfast, Ireland
20th Nov – Yarn, Ballycastle, Ireland
22nd Nov – The Savoy, Cork, Ireland
26th Nov – Monroe’s, Galway, Ireland
