SKILAA Share Debut Album 'Tiger In The River' + Announce Release Shows

Announced yesterday as top twenty finalists for the prestigious 2024 Silver Scroll Award for 'Jenny Greenteeth', SKILAA grace our midwinter Friday with their debut album Tiger In The River. The Tāmaki Makaurau collective of Chelsea Prastiti, Michael Howell, Tom Dennison, Adam Tobeck and Helen Pahulu (on live backing vocals) snappily describe their multi-faceted, genre-smashing sound as "psych RnB". They've crafted ten rhythmically rich, harmonically heartwarming and emotionally complex works — recorded with Callum Passells (Hans Pucket), produced / mixed by Jeremy Toy (Leonard Charles, She's So Rad), mastered by NYC-based Grammy nominee Nate Wood, and adorned with vibrant artwork by Prastiti.

Freshly unveiled tunes on the record — rhythmic funk powerhouse 'Scratch Me Out', 'Sufficient', 'In My Head', scathing rap throw down 'Bite Like That', 'Solos' and 'Straight Trippin' — match the expertly executed ambition of lead singles 'Money' featuring Detroit rapper Guilty Simpson, 'I Never Knew', 'Southern Gothic', and the aforementioned 'Jenny Greenteeth'. Adding to the fractal-like cavalcade is a new video for the group's latest single 'Southern Gothic' created by Night Watch (Jaya Beach-Robertson and Jazz Dos Santos), relocating Prastiti's tense urban vision within a no less sinister, hyper-caffeinated office culture environment.

The cherry on top is the group have just announced a pair of launch parties, playing with buds She’s So Rad and Lips at Tāmaki's Neck of the Woods, plus Dawn Diver and Revulva at Te Whanganui-a-Tara's Rogue and Vagabond in August. Hit play on SKILAA's four years in the making new long player and video, then get a wiggle on to the gigs...

"Trapped in the monotony of the drive to work in commuter traffic, talking about lunches brought from home, discussing the spectrum of odd coworkers with the other weirdos we were able to find, equally trapped amongst the white walls and fluorescent overhead lighting and corporate bull-speak. These were the conditions in which the concept for Southern Gothic was created. The Southern Gothic shoot was cathartic. Amanda Tito, Mel Odedra, and Amelia Reynolds actualized our rage and borderline manic psychosis. All set to the soundtrack of SKILAA’s equally hectic second single." - Jaya Beach-Robertson

Skilaa 'Tiger In The River' Album Release

Thursday 15th August - Neck of the Woods, Tāmaki Makaurau w/ She’s So Rad, Lips
Saturday 17th August - Rogue and Vagabond, Te Whanganui-a-Tara w/ Dawn Diver, Revulva

Tickets on sale HERE via UTR

'Tiger In The River' is out today digitally and on vinyl LP, order HERE.