Nov 21

Maribou State

Maribou State share new single "Dance on the World" from forthcoming album ‘Hallucinating Love’, out 31st January 2025 on Ninja Tune.

Maribou State, the duo made up of Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, share new single “Dance on the World”; a slice of signature Maribou State which showcases their skill as songwriters. It’s the third single to be shared from their highly anticipated new album ‘Hallucinating Love’, set for release 31st January 2025 on Ninja Tune.

Due to overwhelming demand (which saw the first two dates sold-out in just a matter of hours) the band also recently announced an impressive third consecutive show at London’s 10k+ capacity Alexandra Palace on Sunday 16th February 2025. The shows will mark a triumphant and poignant moment for the duo, following the news shared earlier this year by Chris Davids that he had undergone a major operation for a rare brain condition, from which he has only just begun to return to the studio and rehearsals full time.

“Dance on the World” arrives shortly after the release of recent singles “Bloom” and “Otherside” featuring long-time collaborator and vocalist Holly Walker, received widespread support from the likes of Pitchfork, NME, Clash, The Line of Best Fit and Mixmag, plus radio support from Jack Saunders, Pete Tong, Mary Anne Hobbs, Lauren Laverne, Danny Howard. The duo also just announced a massive North American tour for Spring 2025, their first full band live dates on the continent in six years with stops in New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto and many more.

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 international media outlets also naming Maribou State as one of their ‘Artists Of The Year’ and BBC 6Music hailing ‘Kingdom’ as their ‘Album Of The Day’.

There have also been world tours, dates at majestic venues like Sydney Opera House and a roadblock set at Glastonbury, as well as Artist of the Year accolades and a hugely successful single with Khruangbin (‘Feel Good’). But nothing could have prepared the duo for what happened when they made their third album ‘Hallucinating Love’ – the biggest test of their careers yet.

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.”

They were feeling the pressure in more ways than one, and ended up scrapping their first draft. Writing trips were booked in to help jumpstart a new creative flow. 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.

“It was brutal,”

says Chris, while Liam adds:

“It was heartbreaking to see him try and push on in the studio, sometimes he would keel over from the pain and then try to push on with work again.”

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 – friends since their teens back in Hertfordshire, just outside of London – 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.

“They’ve been so compassionate and understanding during this time, it’s been really amazing,”

says Chris.

‘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.

Working more closely with others also helped to mine musical gold, at various recording sessions in bucolic settings around the country.

Liam and Chris invited along collaborators like incredibly talented producer Jack Sibley and bassist Jonjo Williams, creating little makeshift communities wherever they went. It infused their music with a new energy. On the album’s lead single ‘Blackoak’, you can even hear an amateur choir of friends, recorded in the stairwell of an old country house during one of their stays.

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, We’re more grounded and resilient.”