The Avalanches have released ‘We Will Always Love You’, a new song featuring Blood Orange. Listen to it below.
The Australian group premiered the song today (February 20) at 8.10am GMT. It’s their first release since their 2018 ‘Because I’m Me’ remixes EP.
Blood Orange (real name Dev Hynes) sings on the two-minute track, which samples Smokey Robinson and The Roches. Stream it below.
In a statement posted shortly after the song’s release, the band gave more context about the song and their new record. They wrote, “Sometimes we receive a message. Telling us our music has been there; through dark times, loneliness, loss. There are no words to express how moving or profound this connection with you is.
“Because the music was born out of such moments itself, and so it is felt, by those with open hearts, on the same wavelength it was first created. Morse Code beamed and received by hearts and hearts alike.”
They added, “Our new record is about such journeys, from darkness to light. About life after (all kinds of) death. About the transcendent nature of music itself.” Read the full statement below:
We Will Always Love You has begun to appear on streaming services worldwide.
We hope you enjoy ?? pic.twitter.com/7qJl1F7kp4— The Avalanches (@TheAvalanches) February 20, 2020
The Avalanches have been teasing the song for the past week or so. Yesterday, they posted a video of the song being broadcast from the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles! The Capitol Tower has a message for you ?
.– . / .– .. .-.. .-.. / .- .-.. .– .- -.– … / .-.. — …- . / -.– — ..- / ..— —– .-.-.- —– ..—
WWALY 20.02.20 pic.twitter.com/JVGXAbVo9q
— The Avalanches (@TheAvalanches) February 19, 2020
That followed cosmic artwork posted to social media and put up around Australia on cryptic billboards last week.
Those boards featured a message that reads, “After we die, what then? We will always love you”, with a link to the URL wwaly.earth beneath the phrase. The page, which The Avalanches’ official website also redirects to, features a video with an audio clip of morse code that spells out the group’s name.
The Avalanches released their last album, ‘Wildflower’, in 2016. That ended a 16-year-long wait for new music following their critically acclaimed 2000 debut, ‘Since I Left You’, which is widely considered an influential record in the plunderphonics genre.
The Avalanches are set to perform at several European festivals, including All Points East 2020. The London festival, which will be held over two weekends in May at Victoria Park, will be headlined by fellow Australian act Tame Impala. The lineup also includes latest additions The Kooks and The Wombats.