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Photo by SheIsAphrodite

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“bracing and super- charged… LÂLKA is on a journey of hyper-pop exploration” – Sara Glaidous, triple j

“It’s an electronic candy store and I’m the kid going in.” – Dave Ruby-Howe, triple j Unearthed

“…disjointed electro future pop that would hold that of the shortest attention span.” – Stoney Roads

“An exploration into queer POC representation, LÂLKA’s glossy tone demands to be seen and heard over oscillating digitalized textures, swirling synths, and animated hyperpop layers” – Sniffers

“Beaming in like a holographic transmission from a neon-lit Bladerunner-esque future where rave and EDM seem to dominate life’s soundtrack, [LÂLKA] delivers insistent BPMs for dancefloor kicks.” – The Music

“[LÂLKA] has time and time again proven her place in the upper echelon of Australia’s underground pop scene, and the bright future that lays within…. a cult favourite” – Pilerats

“all the elements of a hyperpop earworm – but most importantly, it’s also lyrically tinged with emotion” – FROOTY

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Today, Borneo-born, Meanjin/Brisbane-based artist, producer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ LÂLKA announces her glossy, immersive and “hyperintense” debut mixtape Romance + Rebellion and shares its title track; the mixtape will land independently on Friday June 2 2023, launching with an accessibility-minded hometown show (details below) and will feature recent singles ‘Lilith’ and ‘What If We Kiss To Break The Tension?’. ‘Romance + Rebellion’ is out now, listen HERE.

The mixtape’s title track is a heart-racing synthetic confection fuelled by the passionate, urgent energy of new love, with LÂLKA saying: “This is by far the most romantic song I’ve ever written. Love is an act of rebellion. The line “I wanna rave with you” sounds vapid on the surface, but holds a particularly poignant meaning for me. The person that I am currently in love with was the first person I ever felt a connection with at a rave. Dancing, thoroughly enjoying the music in a small club. And 100% sober during the experience.”

LÂLKA’s frenetic stylings, classical training background and golden-eared pop hooks – which she presents through the lens of her own experiences as a queer neurodivergent woman of colour – have earnt her support from triple j, triple j Unearthed, BBC Radio 6, The Guardian AU, Stoney Roads, NME AU, Purple Sneakers, Pilerats, Futuremag Music, Mixmag Asia, Amnplify and many more, also appearing on DSP playlists like the Australia Viral 50, New Music Friday AU & NZ, and Fresh Finds: Hyptronix.

PRE-SAVE MIXTAPE

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Photo by SheIsAphrodite

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Crafted as she emerged from a significant relationship breakdown, multiple hospitalisations, and eventual diagnoses of fibromyalgia and autism, the futuristic-sounding Romance + Rebellion mixtape (produced, written, mixed and performed by LÂLKA with mastering from Becki Whitton aka Aphir) is a result of LÂLKA “find[ing] solace in the digital space”, celebrating the beauty of finding love in a precarious reality and her righteous, cathartic rebellion against a conservative Pentecostal Christian upbringing, resulting in a reconstruction of self. A cohesive and immersive journey that seamlessly blends elements of hyperpop, J-core, Euro-dance and hardcore through its breathtaking twists & turns via envelope-pushing sound design, “kawaii” melodies, hard-hitting beats and LÂLKA’s signature vocals, tracks like ‘Vicious’ and ‘Psycho Theme’ (referencing her 2019 track ‘Go Psycho‘) are uncompromising additions to a back-catalogue of music that celebrates strength, power, and being “unfuckwithable”, and elsewhere on the tape, slower moments like recent single ‘Lilith‘ see LÂLKA embracing and accepting her own fragility. The result is a tape that’s as nostalgic, optimistic and otherworldly as it is brutal, driving and hedonistic, structured in a way that’s ripe for underground raves, otaku nightclubs and industrial warehouse parties – ultimately arriving at empowerment through it all, bringing the listener along with it.

LÂLKA says, “The [mixtape] is hyperintense – for me personally, and for many other neurodivergent people too, [my] brain is hyperactive, quick to think yet chaotic, and simply EXISTING in a neurotypical world on some days is too intense. The music [on Romance + Rebellion] is visceral – just like my pain is felt so deeply in my body. I went through some significant and traumatic events and I found myself slowly reconstructing my sense of self. My illness was largely due to the neural pathways of my brain, and neurodivergent folks like myself simply have our brains wired differently. Thanks to advice from my therapist, I’m working on mindsets and mental shifts to help me not just be happier, but to learn how to live better with both chronic illness and neurodivergence.”

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Romance + Rebellion will launch with an intimate “celebration party” on June 18 at Meanjin’s QUIVR, jointly presented by the venue with Cult Figure Club & Club Immaterial in an accessibility-minded event that will feature a chill-out space, a community support team to ensure patron’s safety and enjoyment, assistance to accessible bathrooms, and a sliding scale for ticket pricing, with LÂLKA performing music from the tape alongside support from local DJs Artistique, Blair de Milo, A-MUSE Project, DJ Nejmere and Sassie Man.

With appearances at Laneway Festival (Bris), FOMO (Bris), BIGSOUND (2019 and 2022 – with The AU Review describing her live show as a “sensory spectacle”), Melbourne Fashion Festival, and more already under her belt, LÂLKA’s debut EP The Way Music Looks (2021) featured contributions from fellow electronic boundary-pushers Ninajirachi, Oh Boy, Donatachi, MUKI and BRUX, followed up by her Euphoria EP (2022) with features from Chaii, Evangeline and Bopcorn – with the latter being her first physical release, which sold out. A relentlessly community-minded artist, LÂLKA has contributed to albums by artists like Donatachi and Feels as well as shared stages with Charli XCX, Genesis Owusu, Ninajirachi, Kota Banks, Haiku Hands, and Your Girl Pho to name a few.

LÂLKA’s most recent singles, ‘What If We Kiss To Break The Tension?’ & ‘Lilith’, which were released as NFT digital pressings before selling out entirely, will also appear on the tape, with the former added to Spotify’s Hyperpop playlist and the latter added to rotation with FBi Radio, EnergyGroove Radio and Edge Radio, plus support from triple j, triple j Unearthed, 4ZZZ, SYN, 2SER, Triple R, JOY, Pilerats, Purple Sneakers, Amnplify and more.

CATCH LÂLKA LIVE
June 18
Romance + Rebellion Launch Party

presented by Cult Figure Club, Club Immaterial & QUIVR

w/ Artistique, Blair de Milo, DJ Nejmere, A-MUSE & Sassie Man

QUIVR
Fortitude Valley,
Meanjin/Brisbane
Tickets

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Romance + Rebellion
Mixtape Out Jun 2, 2023
Pre-save: HERE

Track List

1. Initiation (Pt. 1)
2. Initiation (Pt. 2)
3. Psycho Theme
4. Vicious
5. R3353
6. Hyperintense
7. Hedonism
8. Obsidian
9. I Need U
10. Lilith (Extended Version)
11. Levis & T-Shirts
12. What If We Kiss To Break The Tension
13. Romance + Rebellion

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Photo by SheIsAphrodite

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Follow LALKA
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – Youtube

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AMNPLIFY – DB