L.A.B Fifth Studio Album ‘L.A.B V’ Out Dec 17

L.A.B return with their new album, L.A.B V, their fifth in five years.

Following on from a string of albums & singles that have reached number one at home in New Zealand, L.A.B V features a band continuing to experiment with multiple genres while staying true to the L.A.B sound. The album sees the band combining their eclectic sound into a compelling journey that moves across reggae, soul, funk & blues.

The new album has once again been recorded at the band’s home of the Surgery Studios in Wellington with Dr Lee Prebble, with the studio helping bring out the nostalgia-tinged sound to the release. Recorded in between sell-out arena shows and lockdown periods, the recording process again saw the band living in the studio for weeks on end, with drummer Brad Kora heading up the production team of Prebble & bassist Ara Adams-Tamatea.

The 10 tracks featured on L.A.B V showcase a mixture of the styles that have grown to be the L.A.B sound. This release sees the sound expanding into country & hip-hop with the tracks ‘Under The Sun’ & ‘Real Ones’, featuring local artist Kings. Tracks ‘Can You Be The One’ & ‘Oh Honey’ are the album’s soulful slow jams which feature strings to match from frequent-collaborators The Black Quartet.

‘Mr Reggae’, ‘Like Fire’ & ‘I Know’ all bring L.A.B’s roots/reggae experience to the front, creating tracks that instantly feel like classic summer sing-alongs. ’Backseat’ see the band bring a soul-infused R&B sound to the tracks, backed by full strings, horns & woodwind instruments, while ‘Proud Man’ closes the album with a classic funk-inspired jam.

Continuing to hone in & expand on their eclectic sound, L.A.B V sees L.A.B cementing themselves as one of New Zealand’s hardest-working acts, and adds another collection of tracks to their ever-expanding catalogue.

Since the 2020 release of L.A.B IV, the band saw that album reach Number One on the New Zealand Official Album Chart, while the single ‘Why Oh Why’ topped the Singles Chart. They have headlined festivals across New Zealand and performed five massive headline shows at the iconic Bowl of Brooklands, Mt Smart Stadium, Claudelands Arena and two shows at TSB Arena – with all five shows selling out to a total audience of over 50,000. Recent months have seen them nominated for five awards at the 2021 Aotearoa Music Awards, including Album & Single of the Year, one year after taking home the People’s Choice Award.

The release comes ahead of a huge summer of live performances in New Zealand and Australia, including headline shows at Hagley Park in Christchurch and at Auckland’s iconic Western Springs Stadium. April 2022 will see L.A.B finally return to Australia to perform a marquee set at the iconic Byron Bay Bluesfest, and play five sold out shows to over 15,000 people at HOTA Gold Coast (2 shows), Fremantle Arts Centre (2 shows) & more.

L.A.B
Australian Tour 2022