12 July 2024 - 0 Comments

Step into the world of Psycho Gab - the rising Aotearoa neo-soul collective who have just dropped their damn good debut EP Crazy Talk!

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A mix of smooth and chaotic jazz and RnB, this 6-track EP is a well-curated and magical debut from Rosetta Stone (vocals), Orlando Cooper (bass, production), Caleb Wong (keyboards, production), Max Henley (guitar) and Finn Mcneill (drums).

“It's our debut body of work!” exclaims Rosetta. “A cocktail of our individual influences and styles, it documents how those styles collide into a sound that none of us would reach on our own. It’s the chaotic and exciting reality of five full-time students, with lots on the go, making music together. It’s also a reflection of our community - all those in Aotearoa music who inspire and support us.”

With themes of navigating young relationships, codependency, taking in the world around you, and being resilient when things don’t go to plan - the release of Crazy Talk follows the success of Psycho Gab’s 2023 debut single Messy (Radioscope, SRN), and more recently, singles Gabben (SRN Top 10, #1 Radio Active Top 11) and Pianomen (NZOA NewTracks, SRN Top 10, #2 RDU Top 10).

Joining these singles is the group's dreamy and romantic new single Masterpiece - a song that contemplates the beginning of a relationship. “Falling in love with your best friend is so inconvenient and risky and off-script, but happens so naturally it's pretty much impossible to avoid,” says Rosetta. “It first came to me as an acapella melody, before Caleb reharmonized the chords and we went through lots of different versions before settling on the lush RnB slow jam.”

Crazy Talk was written, recorded and mixed across Psycho Gab’s flats, Caleb and Orlando’s home studio - Bilbo’s Clubhouse, Big Fan (during Caleb’s residency) and The Lab recording studio with award-winning engineer Olly Harmer.

“All of our songs are entirely self-produced, mixed and mastered, which has felt really important to upholding the integrity of our sound and that ‘stream of consciousness,’” explains Rosetta. “We’re blessed to have a lovely community of talented musicians through the UoA School of Music. Our mates Iggy Palmero Epstein (percussion) and James Dawes (saxophone) jumped on Orchid Samba, and we couldn’t have made the EP without the help and support of Olly at The Lab. He’s an absolute legend, and put up with our antics to get a bunch of live instrumentation done for Masterpiece, Orchid Samba and Pianomen - giving us the beautiful live sound we needed to make the tracks feel true to us.”

To celebrate the release of Crazy Talk, Psycho Gab are heading on tour!

Tāmaki Makaurau - July 13 @ Whammy Bar w/ Zola Nova + SPDRTWNBBY - tickets @ UTR

Pōneke - July 25 @ Rogue and Vagabond w/ Groove Council + Veg Trio - koha entry

Pōneke - July 26 @ Meow w/ Doma Cyno + Crumbly Jack - tickets Moshtix

Ōtautahi - July 27 @ Darkroom w/ Tay Renee + Chicks From Corea - tickets @ UTR

Barely a year old, Psycho Gab have already received great local support from radio, industry and fans alike. Their growing fanbase also come from the band’s year of electric live performances - including being semi-finalists at Dig The Gig Auckland, and finalists at Burgerfuel Battle of the Bands. Now is definitely the time to press play on Crazy Talk and jump aboard the Psycho Gab tour train!

Photo Credit & Cover Art: Gabriella Gillespie

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