Maribou State Announce New Album 'Hallucinating Love' + Unveil First Single

Maribou State — the duo made up of Chris Davids and Liam Ivory — have today announced that their highly anticipated new album Hallucinating Love is set for release on January 31st 2025 on Ninja Tune. Alongside the news comes brand new single “Otherside” featuring long-time collaborator and vocalist Holly Walker — with other featured guests across the record including Andreya Triana, North Downs and Gaidaa.

“Otherside” follows last year’s standout “Blackoak” single — a classic slice of signature Maribou sound, blending intricate electronics with organic live instrumentation and vocals, built around the kind of enticing hooks that have earned them such a huge and dedicated fan base over the years — as well as the return of their lauded live show this autumn, with a special sold-out one-off performance at London’s Islington Assembly Hall on 27th November. The show will also be a poignant moment, following the news shared earlier this year by Chris Davids that he had undergone a major operation for a rare brain condition in November 2023, the Islington show will mark both his and Liam’s returns to live performances since they wrapped up their Kingdoms In Colour Tour in 2019 with a spectacular sold-out show at the O2 Academy Brixton.

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Maribou State were first 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. Their music has been celebrated by the likes of NME, Complex, GQ, Clash and Crack Magazine, with Mixmag also naming Maribou State as one of their ‘Artists Of The Year’ and BBC 6 Music hailing ‘Kingdom’ as their ‘Album Of The Day’ alongside huge support from the likes of Annie Mac, Nick Grimshaw, Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft, Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamacq, Pete Tong, Nemone and many more, plus US radio plays from KCRW & KEXP.

The year 2020 was supposed to be a reset, with time set aside to work on new material. But they soon started spiralling. Chris was facing chronic insomnia and getting to grips with a recent ADHD diagnosis; Liam developed crippling anxiety – and that’s not to mention everything that was going on globally at the time. “There was a massive fallout from us touring the world and then as soon as we finished, being locked down,” says Liam. “Our mental health plummeted.”

Then, in late 2021, Chris started experiencing chronic headaches. After one such trip the following spring – where the duo wrote some of their best music yet – he finally received the diagnosis: a rare condition called chiari malformation that causes pressure on the brain.

Eventually, something had to give. Chris underwent surgery in November 2023, just as their album was coming close to being finished. The experience has brought Maribou State close like never before. That album, poignantly titled ‘Hallucinating Love’, is imbued with a special warmth, the kind of rush of being with your friends in a festival field, hugging them tightly, and of triumphing over a challenging few years. The pair also made the difficult decision to delay its release, so that Chris could have the recovery time he needed. There were serious complications with surgery and, at one point, concerns that he might not make it. Thankfully he pulled through – and the duo are grateful to their fans for their support.

‘Hallucinating Love’ is worth the wait: it’s ambitious, packed with sublime anthemia, and is injected with restless energy, soaring strings and stunning guest vocals from long-standing collaborator Holly Walker and new friends like MOBO-nominated artist Andreya Triana. It evidences Maribou State’s evolving balance of intimacy and intricacy, as well as their knack for making epic sundown music. Says Liam: “When we were writing, we were imagining how great it’d feel to finally be back onstage, bringing people together again.” The overall feeling is one of hope. Hallucinating Love is “about being in a dark place, a place of struggle, and then looking forward to bright futures,” Chris explains.

Crucially, the duo wanted to reflect the lineage of great British electronic music, from jungle and UK garage to IDM and trance, and celebrate its influence as well as their place in that history. “We’ve always been very hidden in the project, and revelled in the ambiguity and anonymity,” admits Liam. “But as we've gotten older, we've wanted to show who we are much more. And naturally it made sense to then point towards British dance music culture because it's something to be really proud of.”

Even during their darkest days, Maribou State found a way to challenge themselves and push themselves creatively forward. And they’re entering this new phase stronger than ever before – not just as producers but as artists too. “We’re so much more connected as a duo now,” says Liam. “We’re more grounded and resilient.”

‘Hallucinating Love’ is out on January 31st 2025 on Ninja Tune.

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