Gang Of Youths in the wake of your leave

​​Gang Of Youths ended 2021 with a bang, after a big performance of 'the angel of 8th ave.' on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert', touring arenas as special guests to Sam Fender, and playing some rapidly sold-out headline shows in the UK. Now the band again pick up the pace for a huge year ahead by sharing their brand new single 'in the wake of your leave'.The track is the latest to build momentum ahead of the release of their hotly tipped new album angel in realtime on February 25th.

Collectively, angel in realtime charts the waves of emotions that flooded over Dave Le'aupepe following the loss of his father, and 'in the wake of your leave' focuses on a very specific aspect of the experience. Overwhelmed, Le'aupepe uses songwriting as an eloquent and poignant outlet for his grief. Yet while you would expect the creative experience to provide a cathartic release, instead he feels constricted by repeatedly gravitating to the same topic.

In contrast to its introspective lyrics, sonically 'in the wake of your leave' couldn't feel more uplifting. Gang of Youths convert sorrow into a song that burns with life-affirming, whole-hearted passion – from its exuberant rush to its bright, colossal melodies and its addictive, radio-friendly hook. And in one of the band's most striking hallmarks, it still shimmers with a remarkable attention to detail: the elegiac backing harmonies of the Auckland Gospel Choir; the percussion provided by a collective of drummers from the Cook Islands; and Tom Hobden's stirring string arrangements.

Dave Le'aupepe says, "I wanted to reflect on how I became dependent on grief for solace and inspiration. The cycle from numbness to acceptance to yearning plays a role in my approach to grieving my dad's death. As a result, most of the time, I feel a bit futile as a person."

The album's conceptual themes are amplified by Gang Of Youths' ever more ambitious musical approach. Their influences range from American minimalism and contemporary classical, to drawing upon the legacy of Britain's alternative/indie scenes, such as drum 'n' bass to the most transcendent moments of Britpop. It's equally rooted in Le'aupepe's Polynesian heritage, featuring samples from David Fanshawe's recordings of indigenous music from the Polynesian islands and the wider South Pacific, as well as contributions from a cast of talented Pasifika and Māori vocalists and instrumentalists.

Gang Of Youths recently announced the following Australian and Aotearoa headline dates in support of angel in realtime presented by Handsome Tours, TEG Live, and triple j. The shows will be held in Australia's most spectacular arenas in July and August 2022, kicking off at Perth's RAC Arena, then to Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, before heading to Melbourne's iconic Rod Laver Arena. The band also return to Auckland and Wellington for their first Aotearoa headline shows in five years. Fans in Brisbane and Hobart are advised not to despair, some very special announcements are coming soon.