Hot off her headline tour across Australia, today Alice Ivy shares one of her most unexpected collaborative releases to date, ‘Do I Need To Know What Love Is?’ featuring GRAMMY, ARIA and APRA Award-winning vocalist Josh Teskey of The Teskey Brothers. The final single of her third studio album arrives ahead of Do What Makes You Happy’s formal release on Nov 22 via Helix Records. LISTEN HERE + PRE-ORDER LP HERE.

‘Do I Need To Know What Love Is?’ is a rare diamond in the art of collaboration. Josh Teskey, globally recognised for his one-of-a-kind range, loans his instrument to Alice Ivy who excavates a musical space not yet trodden for the collaborator. Amplifying his raspy, melismatic vocals into a dynamic lament for affection, she repackages the bright nostalgia of a Ministry of Sound compilation with a contemporary sheen. Paired with a narrative subject so primal on ‘Do I Need To Know What Love Is?’ Alice Ivy showcases her ear for simplicity.

“I had an absolute blast, writing and working on this track,” says Josh Teskey of the collaboration. “It was one of those special moments where the song just kept rolling along and made things easy for us, all the puzzle pieces just came together beautifully. I had the instrumental pumping in the car as I drove through the Yarra Valley, getting full of inspiration listening to the song. The journey out to Yarra Junction took quite a long time that day as I kept pulling over to jot down ideas. The next week we got together in the studio. We bonded over coffee and it all came together real quick. Writing with an electronic artist is fun as just requires finding that one topline. Simple and beautiful, love it.”

WATCH: ‘Do I Need To Know What Love Is?’ (Official Video)

As unexpected a pairing as the union appears, the final result is mesmerising. Buoyant OutKast-like horns belly beneath twinkling production, softly clasped hands, and childlike choral arrangements. The minimal soundscape provides room for Teskey’s affecting trills to intensify the youthful innocence of the lyrics, his powerhouse vocals yearning through the hook: “Do I need to know what love is if I’m gonna find it? Is it ‘cause I’ve never had true love, so I can never find it anywhere?” Timeless production that never loses sight of her collaborator’s defining style sees Alice Ivy present an instant classic.

“The first time I heard The Teskey Brothers I couldn’t believe I was listening to a contemporary Australian band and not a Motown or Stax record from the 1960’s,” Alice Ivy reveals. “I grew up listening to soul and from the moment I heard Josh’s voice I knew I wanted to write with him. Josh came by my studio and for the first couple of hours he warmed up his vocals by blowing into a straw. Then he did 8 takes of the track from top to bottom. It was such a refreshing way to record, as opposed to section by section. It was honestly such a joy hearing Josh do his thing on the mic, I was just sitting there transfixed in the chair with goosebumps. Working with Josh Teskey was a dream, his songwriting and recording style is so raw, you can feel it through your whole body. Artistry in its truest form.”

Josh Teskey joins Kah-Lo and BJ The Chicago Kid (Criminal), Låpsley (‘Popstar‘), Mallrat and Jelani Blackman (‘Broke My Heart‘), and Mayer Hawthorne (‘Howlin’ At The New Moon‘) and others to be revealed, featured on Alice Ivy’s upcoming record Do What Makes You Happy on November 22. A time capsule of some of Annika Schmarsel pka Alice Ivy’s most challenging and rewarding moments as a creative, the 12-track record dances across genre and expectation. Inspired by and dedicated to the craft itself, the album is a coming home of sorts for Annika, who was drawn to analogue sounds and began collecting old hardware while also returning to formative instruments like the guitar and bass.

Motivated by the gratitude she and each artist brought into the studio following a universally insular and isolating moment in time, she bottles their enthusiasm and deep desire to connect throughout. “Do What Makes You Happy was written at a time where so many people were finally experiencing the freedom to do what gives them the most joy in life again, it was felt in the production, every vocal line and the photography and art. Everyone I worked with was so enthusiastic and grateful to be able to create in studios again, and to just simply connect with people on that level. I feel like I captured most of the collaborators on this record at their rawest, you can hear it in the vocal recordings” Alice Ivy shares.

With a deep respect for the art form that continues to challenge those at the centre of the industry itself, “I like to think of every layer of this record as art in its purest and most natural form,” she explains. Pushing her ethos for consistent experimentation further than before, while unwavering in her commitment to diversify the studio space in every means possible, Do What Makes You Happy further cements Alice Ivy’s status as one of Australia’s most innovative and consistent songwriters, producers, and engineers. With further features from Sam Austins, chlothegod, Elohim, Sam Sparro and Gangs of Kin to be revealed on album release, she continues her reputation for curation by partnering with voices as unpredictable as ever.