JOAN As Police Woman will release her new album, Damned Devotion, on the Play It Again Sam label on February 2.

Before then comes the single Tell Me with its plea for openness and intimacy. "I am always wanting more intimate dialogue," says Joan Wasser. "Fear of being vulnerable, future tripping and feelings of shame, paranoia and jealousy get in the way.

“You got to separate now what’s real, what’s not real – stop using jealousy (not real) as a way to avoid having to clarify and tell me what you really want (real). Why don’t we try trusting each other enough to be fully transparent? What is there to lose?"

Noted for her starkly honest lyrics, Wasser is at her most raw yet on Damned Devotion. "My maxim is: if it feels scary to say it, it’s the thing you must say," she reckons.

Wasser had made her mark as a collaborator with musicians as diverse as Anohni, Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed and Beck, and since 2016's Let It Be You album she has worked alongside fashion designers Viktor & Rolf as well as Sufjan Stevens, Lau, RZA and Aldous Harding.

"I say yes to almost everything," she admits. "I just want to be making music all the time. I can comfortably say that music has saved my life and continues to save my life. I am a devotee. It’s not something I can even choose or not choose, it’s just what is.…Damned Devotion."

Joan As Police Woman will tour Europe in March and April, starting in Istanbul and ending with eight British dates, including the Howard Assembly Room, Grand Theatre, Leeds, on April 20. Tickets can be booked at joanaspolicewoman.com/gigs