Kimbra unveils new album Idols & Vices (Vol. 1)
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 Kimbar’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”
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. Honeycomb (feat. Candy Crush Saga)
10. RNTBCK (feat. Sahtyre)
11. Tethers (feat. Fatboi Sharif)
12. Catch Ya in the Lie (feat. Le’Asha)
13. Keen (feat. DRAM)
14. The Moment (feat. Dawn Richard)
15. Stay Strong (feat. Taylor Graves)
Idols & Vices (Vol.1) LP by Kimbra is out now via Inertia / [PIAS],
buy/stream it here.
Having shared one song a week since the release of lead single ‘Stuff I Don’t Need’ ft. BANKS in July, two-time GRAMMY award-winning artist Kimbra today unveils her new album Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) in its entirety, out everywhere via Inertia / [PIAS]. LISTEN HERE.
Featuring collaborations with a host of genre-bending artists including BANKS, Dawn Richard, DRAM, Skrillex and Sahtyre, Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) is a celebration of Kimbra’s early influence of 90’s R&B, fused with the sonic stylings of contemporary pop, soul and hip hop. Executive produced by Kimbra and Taylor Graves – the album traverses the increasingly complex realm of our digital existence, as Kimbra reinvents herself alongside some of her closest friends.
Kimbra explores the disillusionment of our online era and constructs an entirely new world full of stimulus and temptation (‘Keen’ ft. DRAM), the allure of youth in our culture of celebrity worship (‘Demi God’ ft. Sahtyre), and the covert deception of online personas in recent single ‘Catch Ya In The Lie’ ft. Le’Asha, of which Kimbra shares: “I drew inspiration from catfish culture and stalkers to write this song. We can say almost anything behind digital masks until caught in the lie. It’s about reclaiming power when taken by people who seek to destroy and deceive.”
Kimbra’s latest song, ‘Honeycomb’, is a collaboration with Candy Crush Saga that invited her to play with the game’s iconic sounds to create an original track. Drawing inspiration from the Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) universe, Kimbra blended her signature style with Candified sounds to create a song that feels both nostalgic and explosive. Of its eclectic impetus, Kimbra says “I like to approach my work with a sense of curiosity and discovery— that playfulness is at the heart of my creative process. Sampling the Candy Crush sounds was a wonderful reminder of the joy and freedom that music allows.”
With a holistic approach to collaboration for this project, Kimbra enlisted New Zealand animator Greg Sharp (Childish Gambino, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Rick & Morty) to craft mid-90s anime-inspired visuals to accompany each song on the record. The otherworldly videos serve as individual episodes of the album’s overall arc, following 10 characters as they navigate through an abyss of elaborate fantasies and distractions in the search for moments of awakening.
Idols & Vices (Vol. 1) is the follow-up to Kimbra’s 2023 album A Reckoning, a 10-track project that saw the artist at her most confessional as she encourages listeners to find catharsis and connection through the songs. A Reckoning earned praise from outlets globally such as Billboard, The Guardian, Double J (Feature Album), Consequence, PAPER, The Telegraph and others, marking 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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