LITTLE DRAGON
release sixth studio album
“NEW ME, SAME US”

BUY/STREAM HERE

OUT NOW VIA NINJA TUNE

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Little Dragon—the pioneering Swedish four-piece fronted by enigmatic vocalist Yukimi Nagano, with multi-instrumentalists Håkan Wirenstarnd and Fredrik Wallin on keyboards and bass respectively and Erik Bodin on drums and percussion—return with their sixth studio album, New Me, Same Us, out today via Ninja Tune.

Tomorrow morning at 6AM (AEDT), the band will also be performing a livestream concert + Q&A, where they will celebrate the album’s launch. 

Entirely self-produced and recorded at their long-term home-built studio in Gothenburg, New Me, Same Us represents another chapter in the continuing evolution of Little Dragon. Finding new direction in their unique style of unhurried, off-kilter R&B, pop and electronics, they sound as rejuvenated and energised as ever. The record also finds them in a reflective mood, Yukimi’s distinctive vocals musing on transitions, longing, and saying goodbye.

“We are all on our own personal journeys,” they say, “full of change, yet still we stand united with stories we believe in, that make us who we are.”

New Me, Same Us lead single “Hold On” immediately dances into the album’s playmaker role, effortlessly merging intricate electronic textures and body-moving while delivering a message on breaking away and moving on. Up next, “Rush” delivers a melting pot of sonic influences, veering between soul and electronica while yearning for a lost love. Relaxing audiences into a dreamy tempo, “Another Lover” is described as a daydream of heartache, premiered via a COLORS session where Nagano’s warm, soul tones come alive against a backdrop draped in blue.

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“I can’t understand what I’m doing/don’t understand where we going” Yukimi laments in the opening lines, fuelled by tingling percussion and velvety falsettos.

Moving into the ‘I feel good’ vibes of the record on “Kids”, Yukimi’s vocal prowess is brought front and centre while a backdrop of hazy synths and tingling beats wash over. The steady bass in “Every Rain” inspires a gentle momentum, while “New Fiction” ticks over to the second half of the album and in doing so, seeks that space in which to create new narratives and forge your own path.

The aptly named “Sadness” intertwines melancholic lyricism with Little Dragon’s effervescent musicality, highlighting:

“how you might think you know someone but then time shows you a new face,” the band say.

Switching perspectives, “Are You Feeling Sad?” brings back an infectious beat and with it, a reminder to not worry too much: “you gonna be alright / don’t worry don’t worry / things gonna turn out fine”. Veering toward the end of the album, “Where You Belong” throws down a funk melody, before “Stay Right Here” takes a 6-minute musical journey into Little Dragon’s impressive multi-genre talents and a universe of reverb vocals and glimmering synths in “Water” sees out the closing moments.

“This album has been the most collaborative for us yet,” the band explain, “which might sound weird considering we’ve been making music together for all these years, but we worked hard at being honest, finding the courage to let go of our egos and be pieces of something bigger.” 

For a band who are proudly left-of-centre and fiercely protective of doing things on their own terms, they have achieved no shortage of mainstream recognition. Grammy-nominated for 2014’s Nabuma Rubberband, Little Dragon have long been seen as one of the most sought-after groups to work with. Chalking up an enviable list of collaborators throughout the years, working with equally groundbreaking artists like BADBADNOTGOOD, Gorillaz, SBTRKT, Flying Lotus, Flume, Kaytranada, Big Boi (who was first put on to the band via fellow Outkast member André 3000), De La Soul, DJ Shadow, Tinashe, Mac Miller, Future, Raphael Saadiq, Faith Evans and more. Their hugely popular and highly regarded live performances have spawned a decade-spanning touring career which has seen them recently co-headline a show with Flying Lotus at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl and perform at some of the world’s most revered festivals such as Coachella, Glastonbury, Bestival, Lollapalooza, Melt, Dour, Sonar and Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Camp Flog Gnaw’.

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The New Me, Same Us artwork was produced by award-winning Swedish director, producer, screenwriter and animator Johannes Nyholm (whose shadow puppetry short film Dreams from the Woods was used as the music video for Little Dragon’s “Twice”). The collaboration continues the band’s long history of working with boundary-pushing creatives across the worlds of art and design, including IB Kamara (i-D, Dazed, Vogue) and David Uzochukwu (Dior, FKA Twigs, Nike) on previous album Season High, Vicki King on their Lover Chanting EP and Lena Mačka on their recent “Tongue Kissing” single.

Having played together since their school days in Gothenburg, Sweden — where they’d meet up after class to jam and listen to records by artists like A Tribe Called Quest and Alice Coltrane — Little Dragon’s New Me, Same Us is the sound of a band going back to basics and falling back in love with their instruments: drums, bass, keyboards, harp, guitar and voice, to produce some of their most focused and inarguably best music to date.  

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NEW ME, SAME US
IS OUT NOW
BUY/STREAM HERE

NEW ME, SAME US
TRACKLIST

1. Hold On
2. Rush
3. Another Lover
4. Kids
5. Every Rain
6. New Fiction
7. Sadness
8. Are You Feeling Sad?
9. Where You Belong
10. Stay Right Here
11. Water

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Follow LITTLE DRAGON
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK 
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

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AMNPLIFY – DB

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