Today, Kalia Vandever — the trombonist, composer, and vocalist who has been celebrated as one of the leading lights of a “new class of jazz artists pushing the music forward” (NPR) for their cinematic quartet work and the synthetic, gauze-like drone of their solo material — shares a new track from Mana, their debut album for International Anthem, out on LP, CD, and digital download June 12. The track, ”Waiting,” comes alongside an animated video by Nespy5euro, as well as a live performance video of the piece captured at The Land School in Chicago.

Listen to “Waiting” and preorder Mana here.

Watch the animated video of “Waiting” here.

Watch a live performance of “Waiting” here.

“Waiting” opens with solo trombone laid deeply in a dense web of cloudy effects, holding a warped mirror to Vandever’s melodic brass call. The two elements vie for position until the halfway mark, when the disorienting tonal wash wins out, soon joined by Vandever’s longing and contemplative high-register vocal work — not dissimilar to the alluring intimacy of Grouper or the obscure swoon of Victorialand era Cocteau Twins.

Vandever’s music has quickly and widely gained traction in the last few years despite the fact that their style has been consistently difficult to pin down. Mana is their latest evolution: solo trombone filtered through a well-dialed pedalboard and manipulated live, paired with spare piano à la late-career work of Ryuichi Sakamoto for seven tracks of sometimes placid, sometimes disquieting atmospheres. The electroacoustic interplay simultaneously echoes and transforms the long-note melodicism of their melancholic brass work; and the whole sound is emotively augmented with head-on, unambiguous, and deeply personal sung lyrics — a particularly fresh move for Vandever.

For incorporating vocals into their sound world, the turning point came when they started getting more opportunities to play outside of the context of the jazz world. Some opportunities came in the form of playing in backing bands for pop stars (Harry Styles) or indie-rock mainstays (Japanese Breakfast), but the true exploration started while performing solo, on tour opening for folk singer Haley Heynderickx. For Vandever, seeing a very different kind of crowd from the stage night after night helped them cement a bravery about singing and sharing intimate, lyric-centered pieces. “I was considering that they might gravitate more toward words,” says Vandever, “so I thought I could try these songs that I had been developing, that maybe I was feeling a little nervous to share.”

The heart of Mana also sees Vandever shedding new light onto their personal connection to Hawaiian mythology, ancestry and how it relates to their musical expression — a meeting of their familial and professional life that represents a sort of closing of a circle. Mana, which in Hawaiian means “foundational, supernatural, or divine power and strength,” reveals more of their voice and words, drawing from yearning, loss, and bewilderment.

Vandever writes in the album’s liner notes: “In modern culture, mana can be felt, cultivated, and strengthened as you grow closer to your inner self, native land, and ancestral power. I carry the stories, wisdom, and care of my ancestors as I navigate grief, love, community, and exploration, and feel my sense of mana deepening when I play for them.”

Throughout 2026, Kalia Vandever will be touring in support of Mana, with solo album release performances set for New York at Le Poisson Rouge and in LA at 2200 Arts + Archives. From June 17 to 28, Vandever will be performing as part of the Wehiwehi Residency at Shangri La in Honolulu, HI. Europe and UK shows to be announced soon; see all current dates and more info below.