George Houston Announces new album & tour + releases new single
Alt-folk visionary George Houston has officially announced the release of his highly anticipated fourth studio album, ‘TODC (The Original Death Card)’, set to drop Friday, June 13th, 2025. Recorded at Paul Weller’s Black Barn Studios, following a whirlwind year touring with the legendary musician across North America and Ireland, TODC is Houston’s boldest, most personal project to date.
To mark the announcement, Houston will release the album’s lead single ‘Hey Arnold’ on Friday, April 18th, taken from his upcoming summer EP DragQueen. Inspired by 60s heartbreak anthems and tinged with his signature vintage pop flair, Hey Arnold echoes the bittersweet soul of Dionne Warwick’s Do You Know the Way to San Jose, reimagined through Houston’s uniquely queer, Irish lens.
“I grew up listening to 60s/70s pop,” says Houston. “I’ve always wanted to hear a good old-fashioned heartbreak anthem in that classic style that represents the queer community.”
TODC (The Original Death Card) is a 13 track album that mourns the hardship LGBT+ individuals and women endured for generations, and a celebration of their resilience, and beauty.
George explores the phenomenon of the queer community and women turning to spiritualism, paganism, and witchcraft. All highly stigmatised practices, yet all free from the shame and control of patriarchal religions.
This double vinyl album embodies Houston’s signature sound, with a timelessness that holds fans captive to the dark world the artist transports us to. Each song, paired with its own music video, is the manifestation of a tarot card. Laid out like a glorious spread of tarot cards, this gospel for the witches, sinners, and stargazers of the world, is almost as camp as the Catholic Church.
“TODC has been an incredible healing experience from start to finish. The death card, in tarot, is not only a symbol of death, but the change and rebirth that comes with it.
To have a project that is unapologetically feminine, queer, and Irish, all rolled into one has been a massive step in removing myself from the shame that comes with growing up queer in rural Ireland. Even if I do go to hell, at least I lived honestly.”
About George Houston
Hailing from rural Donegal, George Houston is a genre-bending singer-songwriter known for his poetic lyricism, ethereal harmonies, and hauntingly intimate live performances. Since launching his career in 2020 with the viral debut Boo Fucking Hoo, Houston has released three studio albums, been longlisted for the Glastonbury Song Contest, and received praise from BBC Radio One, RTÉ Radio One, Hot Press Magazine, and more.
Following his breakthrough single In Aeternum Vive, and a once-in-a-lifetime tour with Paul Weller, Houston continues to captivate audiences with music that is as tender as it is defiant.
2025 Tour Dates more dates TBA
9th August – Under The Drum Festival
14th August – Ghostlight Sessions, Balor
4th October – Róisín Dubh, Galway
24th October – Bennigans, Derry
30th October – Ulster Sports Club, Belfast
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