Jeff Parker’s jazz quartet ETA IVtet have a new album on the way. Due May 15 via International Anthem, Happy Today spans two expansive, 20-minute-plus songs. The follow-up to the group’s 2024 album, The Way Out of Easy, was recorded at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles, where the quartet will also perform a short run of shows this August.

A concert film documenting ETA IVtet’s live recording of Happy Today will premiere in Chicago’s The Land School (May 3), Los Angeles’ Vidiots (April 26), and Portland’s Mono Space (April 30 and May 1) ahead of an official release on May 29.

In a press statement, Parker explained that the album is “meant to be a statement of joy,” following a challenging period. “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.” Reviewing the concert footage, he felt a surge of optimism. “It was a very happy moment. So I called the record Happy Today.”

Revisit Pitchfork’s review of The Way Out of Easy.

Happy Today:
01 Like Swimwear
02 Happy Today

ETA IVtet:
08-22 Berkeley, CA - The Freight
08-23 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
08-24 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room
08-25 Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room