Ahead of their highly anticipated second album Langata, electronic dance trio Crooked Colours have released another cut from the record, Hold On, out now. The simmering track follows previous hit singles I'll Be There and Do It Like You, and is another piece of the enigmatic puzzle that is Langata. The trio, consisting of members Philip Slabber, Leon De Baughn and Liam Merrett-Park, have revealed that the album will be out on May 17, with preorders available now. The group have also announced the tracklist for the record, available below. Tickets to the upcoming Langata national tour are moving quickly, with a second Melbourne show being announced for May 26 after the first sold out within days, and shows added for Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle. Joining Crooked Colours on the headline dates will be fellow triple j faves Nyxen and Kayex.
Hold On opens with a dreamy, swirling synthesiser, then blossoms into a hook-laden electronic dance pop jam, buoyed by percolating rhythms and sharp synthesisers. It feels like a love song, but there's a darkness there; as Philip Slabber's gentle vocal dives smartly in and out of the layers of the track, it's impossible not to feel moved. Speaking about the track, Leon De Baughn says "I remember the idea for this track first came to me while I was driving home from the beach. We had just got back from touring in the US and getting back to our summer inspired this track. It started with the chords and the floating vocal line that ended up building into a club beat with the bouncing bass line."
On Langata, Crooked Colours have created a new world; atmospheric beats, soft vocals, synths and guitars that move harmoniously throughout – it's addictive bliss. Singles I'll Be There, Do It Like You and Hold On are highlights, but there is so much more to this record – Never Dance Alone featuring the fabulous Ladyhawke is meditative, tender, and soft, while I C Light is deep and heavy. Written, recorded, and produced entirely by Crooked Colours, and mixed by Tim Watts and David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The XX, Caribou, FKA twigs), Langata contains multitudes and is a masterclass in the ecstatic simplicity of electronic dance music. Speaking about the album Philip Slabber says "Langata carries forward what we created with Vera while including what we learnt connects with fans while touring around the world. We're incredibly excited to release this record and even more excited to perform it live."
After taking Australia by storm with their ambitious and impressive new live show, Crooked Colours will be heading overseas to perform at some of the hottest festivals in the world, including Bonnaroo and Firefly festivals, plus more. Thilled to be hitting the road, Liam Merrett-Park enthuses, "The response to the tour so far has been crazy. We never thought we would be able to headline the Forum Theatre and now we're doing two. Also, we're very excited to be heading to New Zealand for our first ever headline tour there."
Crooked Colours have established themselves as one of the hottest rising acts with the debut Vera. Now they are on track to become one of our biggest electronic exports with this superb sophomore release.
Stream Hold On // Pre-order Langata here
Langata Official Tracklist
1. I'll Be There
2. Do It Like You
3. Heart String
4. Just Breathe
5. I C Light
6. Hold On
7. Langata
8. Mirror Ball
9. Never Dance Alone (featuring Ladyhawke)
10. Lose Someone
Crooked Colours Langata National Tour
Presented by Falcona, Select Music, Sweat It Out and triple j
FRI 17 MAY | METROPOLIS, FREMANTLE WA | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 18 MAY | THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE QLD | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUEST KAYEX
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au
SUN 19 MAY | COOLANGATTA HOTEL, COOLANGATTA QLD | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 24 MAY| ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY NSW | LIC/AA | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets
SAT 25 MAY | THE FORUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX *SOLD OUT
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au
SUN 26 MAY | THE FORUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au
FRI 31 MAY | MEOW, WELLINGTON NZ | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS CLAYE AND JOISE MOON
Tickets available from https://www.eventbrite.com.au
SAT 1 JUNE | GALATOS, AUCKLAND NZ | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS CLAYE AND IMUGI
Tickets available from https://www.eventbrite.com.au
FRI 7 JUNE | UC REFECTORY, CANBERRA ACT | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets
SAT 8 JUNE | UNI BAR, WOLLONGONG NSW | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets
SUN 9 JUNE | CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE NSW | 18+ | *WITH SPECIAL GUESTS NYXEN AND KAYEX
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | 1300 GET TIX | All Moshtix Outlets
Question: I'm loving Hold On; where did the inspiration come from, for this track?
Liam Merrett-Park: Leon first came up with the idea of this track just after we had come back from our last foray to the US. He was driving back from the beach after spending a large period of time in the cold and he was like, "I want to write a warm summery song". He started with some warm chords which then turned into a funky club tune.
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