Tortoise’s Jeff Parker Confirms New ETA IVtet Album ‘Happy Today’

Tortoise‘s Jeff Parker detailed a new album from his project ETA IVtet, Happy Today, due out on May 15 via International Anthem / Nonesuch. Captured live at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles, the record is previewed with “Like Swimwear (Part One).”

ETA IVtet — guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, saxophonist Josh Johnson and drummer Jay Bellerose — laid down Happy Today at Lodge Room on August 20, 2025. Last year was a tough one for Parker and his family. But as is often the case, music came to the rescue. Read a note from the guitarist below:

“2025 was a very difficult year for me and my family. Dealing with being displaced from the Eaton fires for eight months, and the kind of toll that instability took on my family’s mental health and general outlook, coupled with Donald Trump being back in office and basically making life miserable for everyone… There was a lot of sadness and despair. But feeling the sense of community that we created with our concert, and later hearing the recording, seeing the beautiful footage that had been shot and the photographs of such joy to be back in that space and to be making music again: It was a very happy moment. So I called the record Happy Today. It’s meant to be a statement of joy.”

Engineer Bryce Gonzales recorded and mixed the album — which contains two LP side-length pieces — in situ using a custom-made analog mixer and Nagra stereo tape recorder. As Parker alluded, Happy Today also has a noir-esque companion concert film by Charlie Weinmann set to arrive on May 29. Premiere screenings are also set for The Land School in Chicago on May 3, Vidiots in Los Angeles on April 26 and Mono Space in Portland on April 30 and May 1.

Preview Happy Today with “Like Swimwear (Part One)” below:

Happy Today Tracklist:

1. Like Swimwear
2. Happy Today