Ah, the album. That work of creation where the musician picks up his instrument like an author penning a novel, and not a short story in four tracks. That sonic journey that takes the listener through twists and turns that end when the final note's been played. That marketing tool that has been sharpened for decades across LPs, audio cassettes and CDs, so that industry can cut its own slice of the cake.

Where is it today? Is it still lost in a sea of singles and EPs like it's been for some time? Or is it possibly swimming back up, now that people again have the time to invest in eight songs? A study by streaming service Deezer conducted only last year showed how, in the UK for example, 15 per cent of the respondents under 25 had never heard even one album in its entirety. Let's assume it was because consumer patterns had changed with information overload and decreased attention spans. Simply put, no one had the time. But now, we do. The leisure of soaking in a full album is less of a luxury given these long, locked-down hours listeners across the world are experiencing. So, is the art form finally getting some breathing space after being drowned out by short bursts of content? And is this thus the right time to re-examine its value so that it doesn't start sinking again? We pose these questions to a cross-section of musicians, cutting across a young band serving only singles so far, and stalwarts whose menu consists mainly of records.