The Avalanches have clearly been building up to an album, and today, they're ready to tell us about it.
Four months ago, the Australian band/production crew began teasing a new LP — the follow-up to 2020's brilliant We Will Always Love You — with the launch of an RPG of sorts centering on a fictional company, Takumi Digital Archives, along with various other immersive multimedia content exploring the connection between advertising and nostalgia. They've since released three singles: "Together" with Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza, and Prentiss; "Every Single Weekend" with Jamie xx; and "Blue Shadows" with Karen O.
A fourth new song, "Can't Get Over Losing You," is out now along with details on the new album. It's called No Bad Memories, it's dropping in October, and it is indeed "inspired by the simultaneously magical and insidious ways that advertising and name-brand technology wraps itself around our memories." In a new statement, the group explains that this concept applies more specifically to their personal experience of ads and brands growing up in the late 20th century:
It's been interesting as adults to reflect on this often stunning period of marketing - the creativity, filmmaking, photography and music - but which was also - you know, selling a completely unobtainable dream. The way we value devices and products; the way we reflect and represent "a life lived"; the wonder of memory and deep power of nostalgia, especially in sound. Revisiting imagery and jingles from childhood and realizing how profoundly they have stuck… Taking these sound sources from within the heart of this kinda corporate framework and flipping the fragments into our own kind of joyous pop music … eventually we arrived at this world of No Bad Memories.
"Can't Get Over Losing You," the new single out today, pairs the Avalanches with Portraits Of Tracy, aka Baton Rouge musical artist Tracy Amare. Robbie Chater of the Avalanches elaborates on their ongoing collaboration:
Tracy is an hilarious, brave and tender human being who Tony and I have become very close to over the years we’ve been making music together. Almost weekly another song arrives .. "I made something new ..what do you guys think !?" And they’re always SO good. Every single song ! Tracy’s production and mixing is insane but it’s her voice and songwriting that break my heart time after time, truly a generational talent ! We feel very fortunate to make music together.
Lastly, some words from Portraits Of Tracy:
Working with The Avalanches was such an awesome experience! I don’t find myself collaborating too often with peeps, but as soon as we connected it felt just right. We started the song in 2024 & rerecorded it / finished it in 2025, and now she just sounds lovely!
Listen below.
No Bad Memories is out 10/16 on Modular. Pre-order and pre-save it here.
