Willie J Healey announces new EP 143 and shares lead single 'Ditch'
Willie J Healy | Photo credit: AJ Stark
Willie J Healey is today announcing news of a new EP set for release on 4th September via V2. 143 will be released ahead of a short run of intimate October UK headline tour dates, and in the wake of a run of UK summer festival appearances which include Truck Festival. The EP's lead single 'Ditch' is out now.
Always vibrant, groove-laced, and full of heart, on 143 Willie brings together 4-track home recordings with others made with producer Loren Humphrey in New York, the man behind his acclaimed 2023 album Bunny. Vintage textures, keen lyricism, and a unique worldview that unties the observational and the romantic, Willie again finds a way to tap into something universal.
Commenting on the new single he says: "Ditch, sent from above. I just sat there with my arms open and it fell down to me. A gift from the tape lords, Loren Humphrey at the wheel me in the passenger seat with the windows all the way down. It’s a feeler about old fashioned brains, Romeo and Juliet type situations, being young and scared."
Continuing about the EP, he says: "143 is a collection of recordings pulled from different recording sessions. Some were made entirely on my 4 track at home and others were made with Loren Humphrey in New York. It feels good to me to make my own kind of mixtape. A compilation of my favourites!
I called it 143 because my friend sent me a message using that code and it took me a while to figure out that it means "I love you." I thought hey that’s a nice way of not being too soppy. I think 143 was mainly used back when people had pagers. The songs and recordings really don’t have many bells and whistles, they’re all pretty straight up - we wanted to get the message across as directly as possible. It’s my most Neil yet.
It feels freeing to be releasing stuff I did at home with stuff from New York... it’s kinda more my style than previous releases!"
Pre-order/pre-save the 143 EP here.
Listen to new single 'Ditch' on streaming services here and see the visualiser on YouTube below.
Willie J Healey 2026 UK live dates
Buy tickets here.
25 Jul - Truck Festival, Oxford, UK
08 Oct - Just Dropped In, Coventry, UK
09 Oct - Bootleg Social, Blackpool, UK
10 Oct - Tenement Trail, Glasgow, UK
22 Oct - Chalk, Brighton, UK (Supporting Sea Power)
23 Oct - Boia Festival, St Davids, UK
Willie J Healey - 143 EP tracklisting
1. Ditch
2. S'all Good
3. 143
4. True Misery
5. Bottle Rocket
Connect with Willie J. Healey:
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