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.
Idols & Vices (Vol.1) LP by Kimbra is out now via Inertia / [PIAS],
buy/stream it here.
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