With just over a week to wait until the enormous Playground Weekender touches down on the outskirts of Sydney, we’ve been buzzing with anticipation to check out fan-favourite soul man Jamie Lidell at the festival. Now news is out that Lidell will be bringing some brand new tunes with him, fresh from his upcoming album Compass.

As reported by Pitchfork, Lidell’s been hard at work on Compass for some time now, but he hasn’t been slaving away on his own. Indeed, Lidell’s roped in a host of big name collaborators to lend their influence to the new album – including the likes of Beck and Feist, as well as recent summer crowd pleasers Grizzly Bear and frequent piano-toting conspirator Gonzales.

“I wrote every song in a month,” Lidell said of the songwriting process behind Compass. “It’s been an emotional couple of years, so I tapped into what I wanted to say and started writing. There was a lot to draw on.”

Festivalgoers can catch Jamie Lidell at the four-day Playground Weekender festival and otherwise around the country for a couple of other choice dates. Meanwhile Compass will hit stereos on May 17, and you can check out a first glimpse of the record with title track, Compass.