A Great Big World Finds Their Voice On Self-Titled Third LP
GRAMMY-Winning Duo Drops New Single "Younger"
GRAMMY-winning duo A Great Big World have decided that their third album (out later this year via Epic) should be self-titled, and for good reason: because it is who they truly are.
For the first time, the NYC pairing of Chad King and Ian Axel recorded a whole album with a live band, in order to capture the rush and energy of their bombastic stage performance. Sincere, organic and with power-pop hooks sewn in throughout, this LP is the most authentic and heartfelt representation of who the duo are, finding themselves excavating emotional and personal depths not yet tackled on their previous two releases.
"We kind of feel like this is an arrival moment for us," says King about the new album, with Axel adding "We made this record with our friends and our band, who have been playing with us for years. We just made the stuff that moved us without trying to be anything but us."
The first single off the album, "Younger", encapsulates this fully, unfolding like a colorful love letter to an adolescence of playing wiffle ball and Super Mario Bros, listening to Maroon 5, and dreaming about the future.
Watch the nostalgic video game-inspired throwback lyric video.
This heartfelt self-reflection is found elsewhere throughout the album too. "Save Me From Myself" is an honest look at Axel's lifelong struggles with OCD while "You" is a lullaby written for his son. "Hey California" is a campy ride through King's frustration with New York City and longing for the Pacific Coast, while "This is Magic" is a love song bursting with uninhibited excitement that King wrote about falling in love for the first time. The album ends with the pairing of "Hooray For You," a haunting reflection on leaving one's mark on the world comprised of audio from the iconic 1990 documentary about NYC drag culture "Paris Is Burning", and "When I Am King," a triumphant, hopeful look into what the future has the potential to hold.
Chad King and Ian Axel met while both attending NYU and have since released two previous albums, "Is There Anybody Out There?" (featuring their GRAMMY-winning top 5 collaborative Billboard hit with Christina Aguilera "Say Something") and 'When the Morning Comes'.
'A Great Big World' TRACK LISTING
1) "Younger"
2) "This Is Magic"
3) "Glowing In the Dark"
4) "You"
5) "When I Was a Boy"
6) "Hey California"
7) "Here Without You"
8) "Can We Go Back Home"
9) "Save Me From Myself"
10) "Hooray For You"
11) "When I Am King"
For more information on A Great Big World, please contact Josh Page, Rebecca Shapiro, or Hannah Schwartz at Shore Fire Media, and Darren Baber at Epic Records.