Cabinet of Curiosities is the Tori Sparks’ eighth full-length album, and her first studio recording since 2017. As you might expect from a project that has been in development for almost a decade in the mind of an artist known for breaking barriers, it's not a traditional album. Cabinet of Curiosities is a multifaceted project, divided into five parts: five “volumes” or mini-EPs of four to five songs each, each one trending towards a different musical style: blues and gospel, folk, noir country, rock and soul, trip-hop and nu-jazz. The five volumes are being released one by one over a period of several months, from April to October 2026. Spanish music magazine Ruta66 says: “Sparks, one of the most versatile artists on the scene today, demonstrates yet again how her talent and interpretive strength allow her to master diverse musical styles, bringing them into her own territory and building incredible albums.”
On Friday, April 17th, 2026, Tori Sparks released the first installment of this new musical project — one that’s very different from anything she's done throughout her career so far. This is the American singer, songwriter, and producer’s eighth full-length album, and her first studio recording since 2017.
As you might expect from a project that has been in development for almost a decade in the mind of an artist known for breaking barriers, it's not a traditional album. Cabinet of Curiosities is a multifaceted project, divided into five parts: five “volumes” or mini-EPs of four to five songs each, which together form a fascinating whole. The five volumes are currently being released one by one over a period of several months, and each pack of songs trends towards a different musical style: blues and gospel, folk, noir country, rock and soul, trip-hop and nu-jazz. Each has its own distinct character and sound, distinct elements connected by a common thread.
The album contains a total of 21 new, original songs. The recordings feature collaborations with musicians Francisco Guisado “El Rubio” (guitar), Ramon Vagué (bass), Carlos López (drums), and special guest artists, including gospel singers from the world-renowned Tennessee Mass Choir from Memphis, soul singer Nuri Thunder from the band BigBlack Rhino, Latin Grammy-nominated rock singer Carlos Mendoza, and violinist Fats Kaplin, who has collaborated with Jack White, Beck, Elvis Costello, John Prine, others.
Music magazine Ruta66 says: “Sparks, one of the most versatile artists on the scene today, demonstrates yet again how her talent and interpretive strength allow her to master diverse musical styles, bringing them into her own territory and building incredible albums.” Rockdelux calls Cabinet of Curiosities “ambitious and unorthodox, music that mixes sound with sensation.”
And Dirty Rock magazine has said of the live concerts: “The songs sound even bigger live. There's something about the way Sparks works within the space… those calculated silences, those guitars that come in at just the right moment… her voice has not only come back [after her health challenges in 2023], but sounds with a new maturity, transformed each song into something more than music alone."
Why “Cabinet of Curiosities”? The album title was inspired by the collections of natural specimens popular in Renaissance Europe that bore the same name. These collections of strange, absurd, mysterious, beautiful, unique specimens were meant to provoke wonder and curiosity. It was how people hundreds of years ago tried to explain the natural world, and life in general: by constructing a miniature representation of it.
This is the concept behind the idea of a traditional cabinet of curiosities, and also behind Tori Sparks' ambitious new musical project. Cabinet of Curiosities is an album for our times, a collection of songs that reflects the complicated world around us: the fractured era in which we live, with all the good and bad, the light and the darkness. The lyrics explore themes such as societal expectations, religion, family, technology, depression, death, politics, the fight for justice and against fascism, family, love and heartbreak; in other words, everything that shapes our complicated, painful, beautiful lives.
Cabinet of Curiosities, Vol. II was released on Friday, May 15th, and Volume III on June 12th. Volumes IV and V are coming September 18th and October 23rd. Also on October 23rd, Sparks will release the entire Cabinet of Curiosities album on CD, and Volumes I-III on limited-edition vinyl. Volumes IV and V are coming Record Store Day 2027.