Time for the latest 2025 addition to the GoGo Penguin discography, Necessary Fictions – released under XXIM Records. This album takes our favourite jazz trio to a whole new experimental direction – not 'experimental jazz' mind you, but experimental in terms of the groups typical production. "What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be" for example blends electronica into the sound and fits in perfectly. There are also several collaborative tracks with guitarist Daudi Matsiko, violinist Rakhi Singh and the Manchester Collective.

The album is a bold new take on the GoGo Penguin sound and most of it works brilliantly. That said, as I go to the trio for an instrumental music fix, I'm not sure if I'm onboard the inclusion of vocals, like on "Forgive the Damages". Don't get me wrong, it sounds good, but isn't what I go to GoGo Penguin for. But hey, that sounds more like a 'me problem', not fault of the album.