NEW ZEALAND POP DUO FOLEY UNLEASH DEBUT ALBUM ‘CROWD PLEASER’
August 25, 2023 BY Jason Currell
Energized, fresh, and strikingly vibrant multi-instrumentalists and New Zealand indie pop duo Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett – aka Foley – drop their debut album Crowd Pleaser via Nettwerk. Having gifted fans the first chapter of the record earlier in 2023, featuring stellar cuts including “Coffee,” “Smooth It Over,” “Killing Me Babe,” and “Nothing,” Foley now unleashes their album in its full glory.
Crowd Pleaser is a glimmering and danceable pop record in many ways, but it also explores deeper thematic textures.
“Crowd Pleaser is such a mixed bag of emotions and experiences – which is exactly what your 20s feel like. One day it’s up, the next it’s right down, so this album really honestly tracks that emotional lollipop for us” says Foley
They continue, “There is no better feeling than hearing a song and realizing someone else is going through exactly what you are. To feel seen and part of something in that way is unmatched – so our hope is that our audience feels that type of connection in this album. That’s the power of music!”
The lead single, “What Got Into You,” is a prime representation of Wallace and Everett’s tight songwriting partnership and musicianship.
Foley describes the single, “One little whisper can circulate and cause a huge story to erupt, that does more damage than you ever expected. That swell to chaos happens quickly, even if someone didn’t have bad intentions and isn’t usually the type to gossip. ‘What Got Into You’ explores an unraveling where a rumor gets away from you and takes on a life of its own.”
The duo let themselves lean into their creative chaos, resulting in a captivating official video.
WATCH THE OFFICIAL “WHAT GOT INTO YOU” VIDEO BELOW
“The song is all about a small rumor becoming a hugely damaging story – so we really wanted to communicate the way something small can get out of hand incredibly fast. In a visual context that was far more light hearted and fun and we let our imaginations run wild with the kind of chaos we could show – throwing feathers, lamps, trees, fire, bubble wrap – anything and everything has touched this video!”
The pop duo are just getting started and Crowd Pleaser is here to do exactly that. Much more to come from these kiwis!
