Jo Harrop: Love Now Pay Later
2nd October 2026
Jo Harrop Love Now Pay Later New Album Released on 2nd October 2026
Available here “A very fine jazz singer.” Iggy Pop – BBC 6 Music “An extraordinary talent.” Jo Whiley – BBC Radio 2
‘A rare mix of delicacy and boldness. Sheer perfection.’ The Guardian
Lateralize Records are proud to announce the release of Love Now Pay Later, Jo Harrop’s much-anticipated fifth studio album, which is due out on 2nd October.
Recorded in the heart of Hollywood at the legendary Sunset Sound Studios, Love Now Pay Later hums with a potent mix of emotional vulnerability and knowing desire. For anyone who sees Jo Harrop solely as a jazz balladeer, this gritty, soulful album will come as quite a surprise.
“Over the last decade I’ve been exploring and refining my sound and my style as an artist,” Jo Harrop explains. “Singing jazz came quite naturally to me, but my love of soul, blues and poetic songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Joni Mitchell has also been a huge influence. I’ve always been drawn to the cracks and imperfections, finding the beauty within the darkness, the aching voices and yearning melodies. This album is full of songs that tell a true story.”
The inspiration may have begun with the spirit of Dusty Springfield’s iconic Dusty In Memphis album, but Love Now Pay Later is certainly no exercise in nostalgia. Producer Chris Seefried - known for his work with everyone from Lady Blackbird to Trombone Shorty - has somehow created a sound that feels timeless rather than retro, surrounding Harrop with a band who instinctively understand how to frame her voice.
“The music was recorded in just three days with me fresh off a long-haul flight to Los Angeles between live shows in New York and San Francisco,” she continues. “The musicians were new to me, yet they were incredibly passionate and determined to create something magical. We worked very hard, often recording the vocals late at night to get the most raw and emotional sound and feel.”
“After traveling across borders to handpick a tracklist that tells a true story, Jo Harrop arrived at Sunset Sound elegantly dressed and fuelled by a fierce perfectionism,” recalls Chris Seefried. “She delivered a performance defined by confidence and endurance. Her vocal style is completely unique the moment you hear it, you know it’s her.”
There comes a point in the career of every artist where they face a choice. Continue refining a sound that already works or take a risk and step somewhere unfamiliar. On Love Now Pay Later, Jo Harrop chooses the latter, and the result is one of the most surprising and rewarding albums of her career.
The title track immediately announces that something has changed. Originally recorded by Clydie King in 1969, Love Now, Pay Later bursts from the speakers with confidence and swagger. Harrop then changes the tone with the poignant Love Is Like The Wind, perhaps the album’s most moving song. Smoke Inside A Jar has a seductive, cinematic quality. The song features Soul Queen, Lady Blackbird, whose heavenly voice weaves around Harrop’s beautifully to create one of the album’s most memorable moments.
Her joyful new take on Labi Siffre’s ageless classic, My Song, transforms it into something deeply personal, whilst Larry Banks’ I’m Not The One also provides one of the record’s most heartfelt moments. Harrop has always excelled at interpreting songs that expose uncomfortable truths, and here she captures the painful realisation that a relationship has ended long before either person has acknowledged it.
The emotional centre of the album arrives with I Wanna Love You. Written by Chris Seefried and Billie Eilish collaborator Rozzi Crane, it feels custom-made for Harrop’s voice. Throughout the album, Chris Seefried’s influence is impossible to ignore. The voice remains unmistakably Jo Harrop, but the surroundings have changed. The colours are richer. The grooves run deeper. Harrop has not only expanded her musical horizons but delivered what may well be her finest album to date.
Blending jazz, soul and Americana, Jo Harrop has developed a style that is entirely her own. There is a warmth and honesty to her music that feels increasingly rare, whether she is interpreting a standard or performing one of her own beautifully crafted songs. Every lyric feels lived in. Every phrase feels considered. Nothing is wasted.
Born in the North East of England and now based in London, Harrop released a string of critically acclaimed albums before coming to the attention of a clutch of tastemakers including Jo Whiley and Iggy Pop, who dubbed her “an unimaginably good vocalist.” With the release of Love Now Pay Later, Jo Harrop is ready to embark on an exciting new chapter of her illustrious career.
Thank you to Peter Conway Management for sharing with us