The new books, films, music and TV to add to your April list
From a lyrical narrative exploring memory in a digital world to a long-awaited second season of a hit TV show, here’s a list of new titles to occupy your free time this April.
April’s new releases include the triumphant return of a Swedish pop star, a televisual exploration of the legacy of Japan’s most notorious fortune-teller and a retrospective exhibition on one of the art world’s great provocateurs.
Books
‘Permanence’
Sophie Mackintosh
Francis and Clara are having an affair when, one day, they wake up in a city that neither recognises. Slowly, they realise that the strange place is inhabited with other adulterous couples finally able to be together – or so it seems. Sophie Mackintosh’s enchanting book is an uncanny yet oddly familiar story of longing and loyalty.
‘Permanence’ is published on 2 April
‘Transcription’
Ben Lerner
Lerner’s slim new novel explores memory and its pitfalls. As the narrator attempts to record the final interview of an ageing friend, he questions our reliance on devices. When every interaction can be mediated via phones, what happens when they fail us?
‘Transcription’ is published on 7 April
‘The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek’
Andrew Durbin
Peter Hujar and Paul Thek were very different artists and people. Yet their lives crisscrossed – as lovers, friends and, at times, rivals. This dual biography explores their entanglements and enduring impact on the art world in a colourful portrait of an era when everything seemed possible.
‘The Wonderful World That Almost Was’ is published on 23 April
Music
‘Free Spirits’
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso
The Grammy-winning Argentinian duo is one of Latin America’s most exciting acts. “Hasta Jesús Tuvo Un Mal Día”, this album’s lead single in collaboration with Sting, is one of the highlights on a set comprising everything from rock to techno.
‘Free Spirits’ is released on 19 March
Listen to an interview about the album with Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso on Monocle Radio.
‘Sexistential’
Robyn
Robyn describes her follow-up to 2018’s Honey as “tantric”, alluding to the way that it ties together her approach to music, relationships, sex and life. From the retro sound of “Blow My Mind” and the industrial beats of “Really Real” to the hilarious title track, this is Robyn at her best.
‘Sexistential’ is released on 27 March
‘Distracted’
Thundercat
US singer and musician Thundercat’s first album in six years is a funky, breezy delight. Highlights include the yacht-rock vibes of “No More Lies” and “She Knows Too Much”, which features the late Mac Miller. Despite its many guests, Distracted feels cohesive, thanks in part to producer Greg Kurstin, who is best known for his work with Kendrick Lamar.‘Distracted’ is released on 3 April
TV
‘The Testaments’
Disney+
Has Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) changed for good? A primary antagonist in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, which was adapted for television over six seasons, Lydia ended the series questioning her role in the brutal subjugation of fertile women. The Testaments, based on Atwood’s 2019 follow-up, finds Lydia in charge of a preparatory school for future wives, including one played by One Battle After Another’s Chase Infiniti.
‘The Testaments’ is released on 8 April
‘Beef’
Netflix
The first season of Lee Sung Jin’s explosive, Emmy Award-winning series took inspiration from the creator’s own flirtation with road rage. In season two, a ferocious couple’s argument leads to an exploration of intergenerational attitudes to love, refracted through Gen Z-ers Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton) and millennials Joshua (Oscar Isaac) and Lindsay (Carey Mulligan).
The second season of ‘Beef’ is released on 16 April
‘Straight to Hell’
Netflix
Neither “you’ll die” or “you’ll go to hell” are lines you want to hear if you’re asking about your future. But Kazuko Hosoki, Japan’s most notorious fortune-teller, was never one to play by the rules. Directors Tomoyuki Takimoto and Norichika Ôba tackle the controversy that has clouded her legacy, revealing Hosoki’s compelling rise from postwar poverty to nationwide fascination.
‘Straight to Hell’ is released on 27 April
Film
‘The Drama’
Kristoffer Borgli
The Drama is generating buzz – and with good reason. It stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, under Kristoffer Borgli’s offbeat direction, which is a gift to anyone who enjoys clever, subversive cinema. Little has been revealed about the film other than the two leads are engaged – and one of them is hiding a terrible secret. But if the finished product matches the hype, The Drama could be one of this year’s most intriguing anti-romances.
‘The Drama’ is released on 3 April
‘Father Mother Sister Brother’
Jim Jarmusch
Venice-winner Father Mother Sister Brother unfolds as a triptych of interconnected stories from indie film-making darling Jim Jarmusch. It concerns a family (Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver and Tom Waits, among them) navigating ties across different cities. Each chapter explores a different dynamic, with Jarmusch’s signature blend of humour and tenderness.‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ is released on 10 April
‘The Blue Trail’
Gabriel Mascaro
The Blue Trail follows an older woman who embarks on a journey through Brazil after being displaced by a cruel state policy that eliminates the elderly. With Denise Weinberg at its heart, it is a gentle but resonant sci-fi road film, grounded in the magic of human observation. Writer-director Gabriel Mascaro balances social themes with warmth, resulting in a movie that is both intimate and political.
‘The Blue Trail’ is released on 17 April
