The Avalanches have joined forces with Karen O for ‘Blue Shadows’, the latest single in a busy new chapter for the Australian group. The track centres on heartbreak and the lingering question of whether a broken heart can ever be properly repaired.
‘Blue Shadows’ is built around a prominent sample from ‘Shadows From Nowhere’, a 1983 Italo recording by composer Celso Valli under the name Blue Gas. The Avalanches reshape that source around Karen O’s presence, bringing another guest voice into their sample-led world.
A third new release continues The Avalanches’ return
The Avalanches began their latest run in May with ‘Together’, featuring Nikki Nair, Jessy Lanza and Prentiss. It was their first new single in six years, ending the gap that followed their most recent album, We Will Always Love You.
They followed it in June with ‘Every Single Weekend’, a collaboration with Jamie xx. ‘Blue Shadows’ now becomes the third song in that sequence, continuing a year shaped by new material and carefully chosen collaborators.
Karen O already had a connection to The Avalanches before taking a larger role on the new single. She appeared briefly on ‘Dial D for Devotion’, an interlude from We Will Always Love You, which was released in 2020.
Her return on ‘Blue Shadows’ places her at the centre of a complete song rather than a short interlude. Combined with the transformed Blue Gas sample, it adds another distinct collaboration to a run that has moved between glitchy electronic pop, club energy and reflective songwriting.
No new album has been formally announced alongside ‘Blue Shadows’. The steady arrival of three singles since May nevertheless makes this The Avalanches’ most active release period since We Will Always Love You.
