Scottish indie artist Theo Bleak has announced Bargaining, a deeply intimate 14-track mixtape set for release on 18 December 2025. Co-written with long-time collaborator Mark Johnston, the project opens with its haunting first single “Megan in New York”—a track that captures the unraveling of a life in real time.
Fans can listen to “Megan in New York” and watch the official video now, with the full mixtape available to pre-save ahead of release.
A Grief Narrative Told in Fourteen Songs
Speaking on the new single, Theo Bleak describes “Megan in New York” as a reflection on “the most damaging dynamics we can enter into—driven by passion, emotion and connections void of any reasonable intellect.” The track draws from a pivotal trip to New York City, where personal upheaval quickly spiraled into self-implosion.
Bargaining encapsulates a year filled with chaos, introspection, and emotional excavation. Written during the stage of grief where hope and heartbreak collide, the mixtape documents the most vulnerable moments of the artist’s life.
“Each song is a painful step forward… I was stuck longest in the bargaining stage of grief,” she explains.
“Some tracks still have the creak of my studio chair—I recorded them at my rawest, saddest moments.”
Inspired in part by journals written by her late Great Uncle John—diaries dating back to 1966—Theo Bleak channels his quiet philosophies on life, movement, and purpose. His words, she says, became “a friendship across the veil,” grounding her during the year she calls the most transformative of her career.
A New Chapter After a Breakout Year
The announcement of Bargaining follows the release of Theo Bleak’s acclaimed EP Bad Luck Is Two Yellow Flowers, a project praised for its blend of poetic lyricism, layered instrumentation, and “goth waltz” guitar textures.
Tracks like “Said Like A Poet” and “Peach Sky” expanded her atmospheric, dreamlike sound while exploring themes of longing, superstition, blurred friendships, and quiet emotional revelations.
Her 2024 single “You Said I’d Feel It All Again” earned international attention, appearing on Spotify’s New Music Friday across multiple countries and receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1 Future Artists, BBC Radio 2 Unwinds, and BBC Introducing, where rising star Rachel Chinouriri spotlighted the track on her radio takeover.
2025 Live Dates
Theo Bleak has continued to grow her international presence after her North American debut at New York’s New Colossus Festival—and she’s set to perform across the UK throughout November and January.
November 2025
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19 – London, NEON194 (w/ Eleni Drake)
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20 – Manchester, YES The Pink Room (w/ Eleni Drake)
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21 – Glasgow, QMU (w/ Admiral Fallow)
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30 – Belfast, Black Box (w/ How R U)
January 2026
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1 – Edinburgh, Winter Festival First Footing
Tracklist – Bargaining (2025)
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End of Bargaining
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Megan in New York
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(17)
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Finest Work
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So Glad I Waited
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1994–95
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NJ Transit
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John
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The Light in Your Eyes Faded Too
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Mortified
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Leave Me Alone
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(14)
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My Name Lives in Your Throat
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To, Hell (Redux)
Who Is Theo Bleak?
Theo Bleak is the project of Dundee-based artist Katie Lynch, celebrated for her introspective storytelling and atmospheric alt-rock influences. Her work blends emo-inflected vulnerability, cinematic textures, and diary-like songwriting—crafting an immersive world where nature, memory, and emotion intertwine.
Follow Theo Bleak:
Spotify | Instagram | Bandcamp | YouTube | Apple Music
