Richard Thompson, the British folk-rock pioneer, has announced his 20th studio album, Hippies, Thugs And Heroes, due out this autumn. The record follows 2024's Ship To Shore and continues Thompson's prolific run of releases, backed once again by his longtime touring band. Alongside the announcement, he has shared the lead single "Cocaine Walking, Booze Talking".

The album was produced by Thompson and James Frazee and recorded at Hobosound Studio in Weehawken, New Jersey, featuring Taras Prodaniuk on bass, Michael Jerome on drums, David Mansfield on guitar and fiddle, and Thompson's wife Zara Phillips on backing vocals. Thompson said the band's chemistry allowed them to record quickly without labouring over the material. The 12-track album, which includes songs such as "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Pauper's Grave", arrives on 16th October via New West Records, with Thompson also set to play a string of UK festival and venue dates over the summer and early autumn.