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The Reds, Pinks & Purples – the acclaimed indie pop project spearheaded by prolific San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and musician Glenn Donaldson – have announced their eagerly awaited new album, Acknowledge Kindness, arriving via Fire Records on Friday, April 24. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now, including limited edition Subconscious Window Pane, Dark Cloud, and Glass Fog vinyl variants.
An emotional amalgamation of past, present and possible futures in which Donaldson allows himself to look back with intent, sift through old feelings, and revisit moments that once carried a sting, Acknowledge Kindness is heralded by today’s premiere of the gloriously idealistic new single, “Heaven of Love,” available everywhere now.
“This album is probably about learning to live with your ghosts and trying to be alive in the present,” says Glenn Donaldson. ”There’s a certain kind of big-sounding record I aspire to make, like California by American Music Club or 16 Lover’s Lane by The Go-Betweens, works that steer into the pain but become a transportational device for the listener.”
LISTEN TO “HEAVEN OF LOVE”
PRE-ORDER/PRE-SAVE ACKNOWLEDGE KINDNESS
Acknowledge Kindness also includes the gorgeously bittersweet “New Leaf,” available everywhere now alongside an official music video, directed by filmmaker/musician Karina Gill (Cindy, Flowertown) and streaming now at YouTube. With Donaldson’s musings cushioned by a perpetual guitar line that effortlessly plucks at the heartstrings, “New Leaf” was met by critical applause from such publications as God is in the TV, which named it among their “Tracks of the Week,” writing, “As their latest single affirms, the San Franciscan agonized pop project of Glenn Donaldson remains as one of the masters of melancholic modern music.” “New Leaf” “feels like a turning point for The Reds, Pinks & Purples,” declared Raven Sings the Blues. “The jangles fade into the background, replaced by clouded atmospheres, the pluck of strings, and a soft cascade of keys. The anchor of resignation remains, a melancholy that pools in puddles at the base of the speakers. Among the tender anguish of “New Leaf,” Donaldson’s vocals still coat the soul in overcast curls. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the album unfolds.”
LISTEN TO “NEW LEAF”
WATCH "NEW LEAF" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
With each release, the Reds, Pinks & Purples continue to expand their universe of beautifully bruised pop, leaving an indelible mark on hearts across the world. Having written more than 200 songs and released nine albums in just six years, Glenn Donaldson has shaped a distinctive brand of emotional pop music built for the quiet hours and the restless mind. Donaldson makes unabashedly melodic indie pop in the late ‘80s mold, sketching out the simplest and sweetest of pop songs from the barest of elements: strummed guitar chords accented with occasional synth or Casio keyboard line, undercut by the gentle patter of a drum machine with lyrics so bitterly melancholy and mildly misanthropic they would be heartbreaking if the music itself wasn’t so appealing. His songs crystallize the tragic, self-mythologizing kingdoms of fortunate failures, misfit heroes, and humanity in all its romanticized wonder and woe.
Acknowledge Kindness now expands the Reds, Pinks & Purples’ emotional and sonic panorama, evolving naturally from the heavier, melancholic tones of previous releases. Underpinned by chiming acoustic guitars and achingly beautiful piano that seem to echo the act of remembrance itself, the mood feels more exposed and reflective, blossoming into lush dreamscapes with Donaldson’s ongoing world-building in songs and images both warmly nostalgic and strikingly original.
“I worked on this record for eight months,” Donaldson says, “trying to get the arrangements just right while keeping the feelings at the core of it; it became a stream of consciousness, inspired by pulling out terrible old journals, reading poetry paperbacks, listening to devastating records, walking through the park getting stoned while staring at flowers, and just trying to take it over the top in general.”
From its humble beginnings as a home recording project, the Reds, Pinks & Purples has recently blossomed into a sporadic live unit with tours on both sides of the Atlantic and appearances at Pitchfork Music Festival London and Woodsist Festival as well as support slots alongside indie legends such as Destroyer, Guided By Voices, and The Feelies. Additional dates will be announced soon.
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THE REDS, PINKS & PURPLES
ACKNOWLEDGE KINDNESS
(Fire Records)
Release Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
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