Milky Chance Perfect Their Warped Collagist Alt-Pop On Living In A Haze

Listen to “Living In A Haze” + “Frequency of Love”

Set To Embark On Their Biggest North American Tour Ever

Milky Chance — the German duo of childhood friends Clemens Rehbein and Phillipp Dausch — announce their new album Living In A Haze, out June 9.The duo, who have risen to global fame on the back of their idiosyncratic and inventive alt-pop songs, deliver a refined and expansive take on their peculiar sonic vision with their fourth album, which features guest appearances from Malian artist Fatoumata Diawara and Canadian singer Charlotte Cardin.

To celebrate the announcement, Milky Chance share two tracks from Living In A Haze. Album opener “Living In A Haze” seamlessly juxtaposes an upbeat instrumental with more contemplative lyrics. It’s an economical haymaker of a track, its structure unfolding with an enigmatic but intuitive logic as it goes from elegiac triplet guitar figure to a tight, post-Strokes rhythmic feel. “I wish I was a disco boy,” Rehbein sings dreamily, describing an escapist fantasy. “I should be dancing the pain away.”

The video for “Living In A Haze” finds Rehbein and Dausch as boom mic operators on a music video shoot, day-dreaming themselves into the choreography.  Watch and listen to “Living In A Haze” here.

The second track, the delicately unfolding album closer “Frequency of Love”is described by Rehbein as “‘a pretty emotional track for us. In the writing and production process of this album, we really wanted to try out new things, and dig a little deeper musically and this song was an exciting outcome of it. It gives a hint of the range and different directions that we've been going with this album." Packed with alluring sub-bass textures and vocoder choirs, it’s a particularly affecting moment from Milky Chance — and hints at the breadth of sonic territory they cover throughout Living In A Haze.

Listen to “Frequency of Love” here.

Operating from an eclectic moodboard of influences — reggae-pop alchemists like Bob Marley, The Police, and Sublime; global pop icons including Burna Boy, Stromae, and Rosalía; the emotive deep house of Fred again…; and the moody, neon-streaked Euphoria soundtrack — Milky Chance pack every song on Living In A Haze with delectable noises and the freight train hooks that have become their signature. Living In A Haze ultimately works because it applies the band’s endless musical curiosity to the propulsive logic of the best club music. “In order to really connect with an audience, particularly in a live setting, music needs a sense of physicality and movement,“ says Rehbein.

As unassuming as they appear, Milky Chance are one of the biggest bands in the world. They proudly boast over 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, an enviable touring resume (including festivals like Coachella, Reading & Leeds, and Lollapalooza), an upcoming schedule of 2023 dates that represent their biggest headline shows of their career, and a global audience stretching from the US and Mexico to the EU, Australia, and beyond.

Since choosing independence with their own label Muggelig Records in 2021, they worked with their partners at Wasted Talent, Ansatz Music Group, and Believe to build a global team of over 150 members that has delivered major success around singles like “Colorado” (200 million global streams, Top 5 Alternative and Triple A) and “Synchronize” (75 million global streams, Top 10 Triple A and Top 15 Alternative). Milky Chance has used their autonomy to focus on global fan development, experimenting with their approach to their music like their travel-inspired Trip Tapes, official collections of remixes, demos, and covers that originally featured as part of the soundtrack to their viral Road Tripping Radio series. Living In A Haze is the artistic culmination of their newfound freedom: Adventurous and unburdened by expectation, it courses with an undeniable energy and sense of possibility.

Image credit: Anthony Molina

This summer, the duo will embark on their biggest-ever North American tour, weaving their way across 48 different US and Canadian cities with Young The Giant and 66 cities in total. These will include performances in iconic venues like New York City's Pier 17 and Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheater. Learn more about the tour here and see below for the full routing schedule.

Living In A Haze Tracklist

“Living In A Haze”

“Golden”

“Purple Tiger”

“Colorado”

“Favorite Song”

“Synchronize”

“Better Off”

“Flicker In The Dark”

“Like A Clown”

“Feeling For You”

“History Of Yesterday”

“Frequency Of Love”

North America 2023 Tour Dates

5/28 Quebec City, QC

5/29 Ottawa, ON

5/30 Montreal, QC *

5/31 Toronto, ON *

6/2 Asbury Park, NJ *

6/3 New York City, NY *

6/4 New York City, NY *

6/6 Portland, ME

6/7 Bridgeport, CT *

6/9 Boston, MA *

6/10 Columbia, MD *

6/11 Philadelphia, PA *

6/12 Harrisburg, PA

6/13 Lewiston, NY *

6/15 Grand Rapids, MI

6/16 Detroit, MI *

6/17 Columbus, OH *

6/18 Pittsburgh, PA *

6/20 Cincinnati, OH *

6/21 Cleveland, OH *

6/23 Chicago, IL *

6/24 St. Louis, MO *

6/25 Indianapolis, IN *

6/26 Madison, WI

6/27 Minneapolis, MN *

6/28 Des Moines, IA

6/30 Oklahoma City, OK *

7/1 Kansas City, MO *

7/13 Atlanta, GA *

7/14 Nashville, TN *

7/15 Charlotte, NC *

7/16 Raleigh, NC *

7/18 Richmond, VA *

7/19 Charleston, SC

7/20 St. Augustine, FL *

7/21 Tampa, FL *

7/22 Miami, FL *

7/25 Birmingham, AL *

7/26 New Orleans, LA

7/27 Houston, TX *

7/28 Austin, TX *

7/29 Irving, TX *

7/31 El Paso, TX

8/1 Albuquerque, NM *

8/3 Salt Lake City, UT *

8/4 Flagstaff, AZ *

8/5 Phoenix, AZ *

8/7 Bozeman, MT

8/8 Spokane, WA *

8/10 Vancouver, BC *

8/11 Seattle, WA *

8/12 Troutdale, OR *

8/14 Boise, ID *

8/15 Bend, OR *

8/16 Reno, NV

8/17 San Francisco, CA *

8/18 Santa Barbara, CA *

8/19 Irvine, CA *

8/20 San Diego, CA *

8/24 Calgary, AB

8/25 Edmonton, AB

8/26 Saskatoon, SK

8/28 Billings, MT

8/30 Morrison, CO *

8/31 Dillon, CO *

9/1 Aspen CO

*With Young The Giant