The Pretty Lights new album is finally real. On Wednesday, July 1, Derek Vincent Smith announced A Trip Thru Time Fantastic, his first full length record since 2013, and immediately released its first 15 songs as free downloads on his own website. The project will grow to 45 tracks by late November, and it arrives alongside a rebuilt live show and a fresh run of 2026 tour dates. For a generation of fans who assumed another Pretty Lights album might never happen, this is the biggest possible news.
The First Pretty Lights Album Since 2013
Smith built his reputation in the late 2000s as one of the defining figures of American electronic music, fusing hip hop drums, soul samples and analog warmth into a style fans came to know as electro soul. His last album, A Color Map of the Sun, earned a Grammy nomination in 2013 and then went unanswered for over a decade. Smith repeatedly said he had little interest in making another traditional album, pouring his energy into improvisational live shows instead. After a five year hiatus, he returned to the stage in 2023 with the Soundship Spacesystem, a collaborative audiovisual production that turned every concert into a living experiment.
The announcement, written in the cryptic and playful voice fans love to decode, explained what changed. “I built a home with the love of my life, found a spiritual path, reunited with my eternal soul brother Michal Menert, formed an AV ensemble to power a traveling laboratory, and been blessed with the most beautiful experience of my life… meeting my son Ayahn,” Smith wrote.
Inside the Pretty Lights New Album: 45 Songs in 9 Constellations
A Trip Thru Time Fantastic will unfold as what the announcement calls “9 shimmering constellations of sound over time,” meaning nine batches of five songs each. The material was recorded between 2017 and 2026, and the full galaxy of 45 tracks is due before Smith turns 45 on November 25. The first three constellations are streaming now.
The opening 15 songs include studio versions of tracks that became prized staples of the live comeback, among them “Time to Build a Home,” “Where Are You Going” and “The World is a Cinema.” The credits read like a family album: drummer Alvin Ford Jr., keyboardist Borahm Lee, multi instrumentalist Michal Menert and turntablist Chris Karns all contributed, while longtime visual collaborator David Najarian appears as a DJ on one song. It lands in a year that has already produced notable debut and comeback records, as we covered when HUGEL released his debut album Twenty One.
Free Downloads Instead of Streaming Platforms
In a move that says plenty about where Smith stands on the modern music industry, the new music is not on Spotify or any other streaming service for now. The first 15 tracks are available to stream and download for free on the official Pretty Lights website, continuing his long tradition of giving music directly to fans, a practice he championed as far back as 2006. Billboard confirmed the free release structure and the November timeline. Stories about beloved music finally reaching listeners have been a theme this year, much like the saga of Avicii’s unreleased song Enough Is Enough.
Fantastic Pretty Lights and the Soundship Space Bus
The album announcement doubled as a reveal of the project’s next live chapter. The touring production has been reimagined as the “Soundship Space Bus,” and the band itself now performs as Fantastic Pretty Lights, listing Smith alongside Menert, Lee, Ford Jr. and a mysterious new member identified only as 96. Mikey Thunder and The Prismatic Fleet are also on the billing, with the fanbase, the Cosmic Caravan, written into the show’s name itself: PL Presents Soundship Space Bus Goes Off the Grid to Cross the Bridge.
The new era comes with real changes. Greg Ellis, the lighting architect known as Lazer Shark, stepped away days before the announcement after 17 years with the project, writing that his “friendship with Derek is as strong as it’s ever been” and that the two plan to keep collaborating in new ways. Chris Karns, part of the live lineup since 2016, was absent from the new band listing, and fans noticed he booked a separate show in Maine on the same weekend as Pretty Lights’ own Colorado festival. Speculation about the lineup, the identity of 96 and the meaning of the Space Bus has kept the PL Fam busy across social media since the news dropped.
Pretty Lights 2026 Tour Dates
The tour mixes three headlining runs with previously announced festival appearances. Presale tickets open Wednesday, July 8 at 10 a.m., with the general sale on Friday, July 10 at 10 a.m.
- August 21 to 23: The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York
- September 4 to 6: Secret Dreams Music Festival, Ohio
- September 18 to 20: Yahn Dawn, Colorado
- October 9: Mempho Music Festival, Tennessee
- October 22 to 25: Hulaween, Florida
- November 6 to 8: The Fillmore, New Orleans
- November 19 to 21: Fox Theater, Oakland, California
What Happens Next
Six more constellations, 30 more songs, will arrive in stages through late November, turning the release into a season long event rather than a single drop. Between now and then, the Soundship Space Bus rolls out across the country, and fans will learn whether the mysteries baked into the announcement resolve on stage. Whatever happens, the drought is over: Pretty Lights is an album artist again, on his own terms and his own platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the full Pretty Lights album come out?
A Trip Thru Time Fantastic is being released in nine batches of five songs. The first 15 tracks arrived on July 1, 2026, and the remaining 30 are due before November 25, 2026.
Where can I listen to A Trip Thru Time Fantastic?
The music streams and downloads for free on the official Pretty Lights website. It is not currently available on Spotify, Apple Music or other streaming platforms.
Is Pretty Lights touring in 2026?
Yes. Headlining runs hit Port Chester, New Orleans and Oakland, plus festival sets at Secret Dreams, Yahn Dawn, Mempho and Hulaween. Presale begins July 8 and the general sale July 10.
Who plays in the new Pretty Lights band?
The lineup, billed as Fantastic Pretty Lights, lists Derek Vincent Smith, Michal Menert, Borahm Lee, Alvin Ford Jr. and a new member identified only as 96, joined by Mikey Thunder and The Prismatic Fleet. Chris Karns was not included in the announcement.
Thirteen years is a long time to wait for anything. Judging by the first 15 songs, the wait built something worth it.