South London vocalist and producer Saint Jude has teamed up with Glasgow-born, London-based artist Taxi For Kaye for his new single, ‘Hopeful’. It’s a slow, murky track that establishes a unique texture from its opening moments. The multiple layers of guitar in the accompaniment are gritty and drenched in reverb, but his voice is juxtaposingly smooth and airy, providing melodies centred on the slow drift of long, held notes. “I don’t know why the track sounds so optimistic,” Jude says. “I’m not feeling that optimistic at the moment but we were both very surprised by how positive this sounded when we made it. We made this song on New Year’s Eve, so maybe that had some influence.” You can catch Saint Jude live at London’s Avalon Cafe on November 12th and 25th, 2025. -Dan Peeke