Maribou State

When Maribou State consider the new music they’ve made over the past few years, one word jumps out: togetherness. Chris Davids and Liam Ivory were propelled onto the world’s stage with their 2015 debut album Portraits, followed by 2019’s equally acclaimed Kingdom In Colour, both redefining soulful, downtempo electronica for a new generation. There’d been world tours, dates at majestic venues like Sydney Opera House and a roadblock set at Glastonbury, as well as Artist of the Year accolades and a hugely successful single with Khruangbin (‘Feel Good’). But nothing could have prepared the duo for what happened when they made their third album – the biggest test of their careers yet.

The work is a vibrant traverse through soul, disco, jazz and funk, before the duo up-the-tempo to bumpier house grooves, tinges of jungle, and their own sublimely crafted electronica. The highlight-heavy compilation includes two brand new Maribou State productions, ‘Mother’ and ‘Strange Habits’, alongside a delicate and uplifting re-work of Radiohead’s ‘Reckoner’. A beautiful collaboration with Pedestrian under the North Downs moniker is also weaved into the final work.

For the better part of their seven years together, Chris Davids and Liam Ivory have taken their Maribou State project to nearly every corner of the globe. From playing lavish events in Ibiza to DJ’ing in intimate clubs in India and New Zealand, they have gradually established a reputation as one of electronic music’s most cinematic and creative duos. Their lush and brilliant debut album, Portraits, demonstrated “their ability to create multiple moods without overdosing the listener in synthetics.” It was also an inward-looking and isolated experience, where each song was immersive yet mesmerizing. Their sophomore album, however, sees the pair extend themselves and create one of the year’s most impressive records…