Alela Diane returns with new album Cusp, the long-awaited folluw up to 2013's critically-acclaimed About Farewell (Believe Recordings). Whilst both albums could be described as born of love, Cusp is perhaps love as its purest, and most complex - for in music, one of the most transformative experiences a woman can have is also an unspoken artistic taboo: Have a baby if you must. But for goodness' sake, don't write songs about it. Portland, Oregon based singer-songwriter Alela Diane has a problem with that. Cusp explores the weight and beauty of creating life, with Alela refusing to stray from her perspective as a mother and woman. 'Albatross' bemoans the pain of leaving her daughter behind for a promotional tour - a heartache she'd never experienced. 'Song for Sandy' was written for British singer Sandy Denny who died shortly after the birth of her daughter; and triggered by the drowned Syrian toddler who mashed up on a Turkish shore, Alela penned the haunting first single 'Emigré' in response to the international refugee crisis. Moody 'Never Easy' tackled Alela's complex relationship with her own mother, a recurring theme throughout her albums. When Alela releases Cusp in February 2018, it will mark exactly one year since her near-death, new-life experience. "Life and death meet in a cusp", Alela says. "The two are intrinsically linked. My second daughter was born on the cusp".