Gretel releases deluxe version of her debut album ‘Squish’ out now via Breadcrumb Records/AWAL

Following the release of her long-awaited debut album Squish earlier this year, London singer, songwriter and guitarist Gretel returns with a deluxe edition of the record on 11 September via Breadcrumb Records / AWAL. Featuring a previously unreleased song alongside live and stripped-back renditions of tracks from the album, Squish (Deluxe) offers a new perspective on the record’s raw, instinctive world while opening the door to Gretel’s next creative chapter.

The deluxe features brand new single ‘Another Thing That I’m Supposed To Do (And I Don’t Want To)’, produced by Seth Evans and Margo Broom and mixed by Nathan Boddy, alongside a series of special stripped-back, or ‘squished back’, versions recorded at Steel Studios in London and mixed by Jack Martin. The release also includes full-band live versions of tracks captured at Gretel’s album launch show at London’s Oslo, mixed by James Kershaw.

On the deluxe, Gretel says:

“I’m delighted to announce the deluxe version of Squish. It includes an unreleased song that’s very dear to me, as well as some very special stripped back (‘squished back’) renditions of some songs. There are also full band live versions taken from our album launch show at Oslo.”

Released in April, Squish saw Gretel embrace the raw, instinctive energy of a band playing together in real time. Recorded live over five days with her band at RAK Studios and produced by Seth Evans and Margo Broom, the album marked a decisive return to her instincts: a gritty, hook-heavy guitar record built around the visceral chemistry of live performance. Across twelve songs, Gretel explored girlhood, survival, desire, jealousy, rage and tenderness, creating a record that felt as vulnerable as it was ferocious.

The deluxe takes that spirit further, moving between the intimacy of the stripped-back recordings and the electricity of Gretel’s full-band live show. Songs including ‘Laurali’, ‘Maybelline’ and ‘Fire Blooming Trees’ appear in live form, alongside alternate versions of ‘Squish’, ‘Darkness Be My Friend’, ‘Unbloom’ and ‘Perfect Body’, allowing the songs to reveal different sides of themselves outside the original album arrangements.

At the centre of the deluxe is ‘Another Thing That I’m Supposed To Do (And I Don’t Want To)’, a brand new track that signals where Gretel is heading next. One of a sea of unreleased music that didn’t find a place on Squish but remained deeply important to her, the song arrives at a moment of renewed creative freedom. As Gretel puts it:

“This is one of a sea of unreleased music that didn’t have a place on the album but I care deeply about. The release comes hand in hand with a creative shift for me, I feel very switched on and free of expectation, like I’ve taken off a heavy coat that wasn’t mine and didn’t suit me.”

Since emerging at just 18 with the haunting debut single ‘Slugeye’, Gretel has carved out a singular space within alternative music. Her earlier work, including the acclaimed Slugeye and Head of the Love Club EPs, established her distinctive blend of grunge-pop, dark lyricism and electronic production, while Squish saw her move decisively towards rawer, guitar-led band arrangements.

Now 24, Gretel is a songwriter, artist and guitarist defined by contrast: her signature voice moves from a dry, husky and menacing lower register to a haunting, ethereal upper range, while her writing is reflective, obscure and unflinchingly honest. Her music has evolved from the grunge-pop of her early releases, primarily produced by longtime collaborator Mura Masa, into the raw, live band sound of Squish, produced by Seth Evans and Margo Broom.

A formidable live performer, Gretel has toured extensively across the UK and Europe, with performances including Glastonbury, Green Man and End of the Road, alongside support shows with Jessie Ware, Love Spells Sports Team and Pond, and sold-out headline shows at London’s Village Underground and The George Tavern. Her growing reputation has seen her featured on the cover of Dork, named in NME’s NME100 and DIY’s Class of, and highlighted as one to watch by The GRAMMYs, The Sunday Times, Metro and Time Out.

Gretel will perform at Reeperbahn Festival on 26 September, followed by DIY Alive at Earth Hackney on 3 October.

Gretel: Squish Deluxe

1. Squish
2. Fire blooming trees
3. Maybelline
4. Unbloom
5. Laurali
6. Drunk on the ballroom floor
7. Darkness, be my friend
8. Pick your heart up
9. Oh well
10. Witch hunt
11. Nervous driver
12. The perfect body
13. Another thing that I’m supposed to do (and I don’t want to)
14. Squish (stripped back and squished)
15. Darkness be my friend (stripped back and squished)
16. Unbloom (stripped back and squished)
17. The Perfect Body (stripped back and squished)
18. Laurali (live from Oslo)
19. Maybelline (live from Oslo)
20. Fire blooming trees (live from Oslo)