After 16 years of praise and false alarms (but mostly silence), acclaimed Australian group the Avalanches have returned with their first official release since their lone album, Since I Left You. It’s a new song called “Frankie Sinatra” featuring Danny Brown, MF Doom, and the sampling innovations that made the enigmatic crew famous. The track premiered on Australia’s Triple J before coming to Beats 1 at midnight alongside an interview between Zane Lowe and The Avalanches’ Tony Di Blasi and Robbie Chater.
Last week, the Avalanches released a trailer for a new project that promised something was coming on last Friday. Instead of a new song or a new album, the enigmatic collective provided a hotline for fans to hear a sneak preview of “Subway.” “Frankie Sinatra” has been in the works since at least 2012; Brown spoke about it in an interview with Pitchfork.
“They [the Avalanches] contacted my manager,” Brown said. “I knew of them, but I can’t say I was that deep into their music. But I went back and studied it, and it’s just amazing. I am ecstatic about that s**t.”
The Avalanches also confirmed in their interview with Lowe that the Since I Left You follow-up is titled Wildflower. The group said its sophomore LP will have 21 tracks and will feature Biz Markie, Toro Y Moi, Father John Misty, Camp Lo, and a few others. There’s a release date, too: July 8.
Listen to “Frankie Sinatra” through a new music video (yes, there’s a new Avalanches music video) below. The Avalanches are also getting ready to play their first live show in 15 years this Friday at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound.
