Kimbra announces new collaborative album Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) out Sep 25 + shares ‘Stuff I Don’t Need ft. BANKS’
PRAISE FOR Kimbra
“A Reckoning LP”
“An arresting return to form”
“Her most comprehensive, brazen artistic statement to date... This is the sort of dark, gothic pop that Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Japson flirted with, but havent sucked the marrow from. Is this reckoning an estimation of Kimbra’s craft, or an act of retribution upon a cruel, patriarchal world? Either way, it sets a very high benchmark for pop music”
“A Reckoning is all about conflict and anger. It’s an intensely personal work that moves from ballads to songs that, at first listen, seem light-hearted but quietly pack a deep emotional heft... In writing this kind of music – that doesn’t shy away from her emotions, her fears, her experiences – Kimbra makes herself vulnerable. Unlike other creative fields there isn’t really anywhere to hide”
“Ambitious and artful, two characteristics that have defined the New Zealand singer's career since the moment we first heard her… On A Reckoning, she pulls together a bevy of disparate influences to communicate her message: that pain can transform us, and that this transformation is ultimately our best chance at a happy and just world”
“[Kimbra’s] fourth album… is sonically more pared back than her previous work, with plenty of darker, more introspective tracks, such as the haunting lead single Save Me. Writing it was a salve”
“Kimbra is free... Punk, hip-hop, electronic and R&B tumble as she writhes around in a state of ecstasy. There's an almost orgasmic quality to Kimbra's work, capturing tragedy, sensuality and release in a multi-sensory overload. In her world, there's no such thing as the tragic female lead, irrationality, hysteria or subtlety. It reassures the ugly parts of humanity that are pathologised, mocked and dismissed through a uniquely feminine perspective”
“Another intrepid step forward in a career-long pursuit of ever-more ambitious and artistic creative expressions. It's Kimbra's darkest, most introspective and pared-back record to date, distilling half a decade of life experience into a collection of deeply personal, reflective and confessional songs”
KIMBRA
Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) LP
Out Sep 25 via Inertia / [PIAS]
PRE-SAVE HERE
TRACKLIST
1. Right to The Head (Intro)
2. Demi God (feat. Sahtyre)
3. Force Field (feat. Sahtyre)
4. Back 2 You
5. Stuff I Don’t Need (feat. Banks)
6. Space Jam (feat. Tommy Raps, Sahtyre)
7. I Wonder (feat. Ivy Sole)
8. Ride or Die (feat. Tommy Raps)
9. RNTBCK (feat. Sahtyre)
10. Tethers (feat. Fatboi Sharif)
11. Catch Ya in the Lie (feat. Le’Asha)
12. Keen (feat. Dram)
13. The Moment (feat. Dawn Richard)
14. Stay Strong (feat. Taylor Graves)
‘Stuff I Don’t Need ft. BANKS’ by Kimbra is out now via Inertia / [PIAS], buy/stream it here.
Two-time GRAMMY award-winning artist Kimbra is gearing up to release her upcoming album, Idols & Vices (Vol. 1), out everywhere via Inertia / [PIAS] on September 25th, 2024. Today Kimbra releases the first official single, ‘Stuff I Don’t Need’, featuring experimental-pop singer BANKS, and will be releasing a song a week leading up to the release of the album. LISTEN TO THE NEW SINGLE HERE + PRE-ORDER LP HERE.
‘Stuff I Don’t Need’ is an eerie and sparse world of sparkling percussion and silky vocal production harkening back to early 90s R&B. Lyrically it is a call toward minimalism in the age of ‘more’. It’s an invitation back to simplicity and connection to the self. BANKS delivers a haunting verse while Kimbra’s vocals dance dream-like around the beat. Bouncing bass and chanting voices lay a rich backdrop as Kimbra reflects on the worship of materialism, singing “it all adds up to just more stuff I don’t need.” In her own words, “I wrote this song as a call to the present moment in the face of so much vying for our attention. It’s about realising what you really want in love and life.”
Kimbra’s upcoming album Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) delves into the increasingly-complex realm of our digital existence, exploring themes of identity invention, toxic celebrity worship, and the allure of online personas. Executive produced by Kimbra and Taylor Graves – with contributions from Dan Edinburg, Tommy Raps, Skrillex, and more – Idols & Vices is a celebration of her early influences in music and a love of collaboration, joining with genre-bending artists like BANKS, Dawn Richard and DRAM.
Accompanied by mid 90s anime inspired visuals crafted by New Zealand animator, Greg Sharp, the animations follow 10 characters as they navigate through an abyss of elaborate fantasies and distractions while seeking moments of awakening. Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) is the follow-up to her 2023 album A Reckoning, a 10-track project that saw the artist at her most confessional encouraging listeners to find catharsis and connection through the songs. A Reckoning earned praise from outlets globally such as Double J (Feature Album), Billboard, The Guardian, Consequence, PAPER, The Telegraph and others, the album marked a distinctive new era for Kimbra.
Shortly after the release of her 2023 record, she embarked on an Australia and New Zealand tour including coveted performances at The Sydney Opera House for Vivid LIVE and Melbourne Recital Hall, with a triumphant homecoming at Auckland’s Synthony In The Domain. Most recently, Kimbra concluded a run of U.S. shows as the special guest for musical prodigy, Jacob Collier.
New Zealand-born progressive pop artist and two-time Grammy Award winning tour de force, Kimbra, released her fourth studio album, A Reckoning, produced in tandem with Son Lux’s Ryan Lott, at the start of 2023. This was just the latest chapter in a series of Kimbra’s overall career success: her 2011 debut, Vows, bowed at No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified platinum in Australia and New Zealand. She received Best Female Artist two years in a row at the ARIA Music Awards and took home 5 New Zealand Tui Awards including Album of The Year in 2012.
That same year, she exploded into the public awareness with ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’, a duet with Gotye that earned her two Grammy Awards for “Record of the Year” and “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance,” as well as reaching No. 1 on global charts (across 23 countries) and selling more than 13 million copies. Her 2014 sophomore record, The Golden Echo, highlighted her eclectic style with a diverse set of collaborations from Thundercat, Omar-Rodriguez Lopez of The Mars Volta, Bilal, and John Legend. Likewise, her third LP, 2018’s Primal Heart, saw her opening for legendary artists, Beck and David Byrne.
Kimbra has performed on TV shows such as Saturday Night Live, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Last Call with Carson Daly as well as performing at festivals such as Coachella, Austin City Limits and Corona Capital. Kimbra also writes on Substack and released a podcast in 2023 called, ‘Playing With Fire’ on the topic of transcendence, a running theme in Kimbra’s sonic work and evolution as an artist.
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