SOPHOMORE ALBUM DON’T SLEEP
OUT JULY 17 ON LAST GANG RECORDS

“She brings those fleeting summer vibes to life beautifully.”
– Gorilla Vs Bear

“The Melbourne artist delivers funky thrills… There are shades of ‘70s radio, even a bit of early hip-hop, all blended into this furiously original package.” – Clash Magazine

“Combining atmospheric layers with dreamy vocals, {“In My Mind}” has a sublime, buoyant quality.” – Cool Hunting

“Irresistibly sunny and upbeat” – Wonky Sensitive

“Fueled by a spontaneous, assured release of energy and soul.”
– The Autumn Roses

“Alice Ivy knows how to get the best out of her collaborators”
– triple j

“Easily one of the most talented in the game, layering samples, melodies and guest collaborators to give this woozy, Avalanches-comparable sound.” – Pilerats

Toronto, ON – May 27, 2020 – Today marks the release of Better Man (ft. Benjamin Joseph) from Don’t Sleep, the sophomore album from Melbourne’s celebrated electronic pop producer, Alice Ivy. Don’t Sleep is due for release July 17 on Last Gang Records. Better Man was written in collaboration with Benjamin Joseph from popular Australian electronica act SAFIA. Pre-order Don’t Sleep here.

As Alice Ivy puts it: “I was super nervous going into because I’m unashamedly a massive SAFIA fan. I remixed them a couple years back but it never came out so when the opportunity came to write with Ben I jumped on it. Ben is an incredible writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He can literally play anything so we were moving around the room picking up as many different instruments as we could and putting them on the track. Ben’s writing style is different to mine, we focused A LOT on the groove and feel of the instrumental before even touching the vocals, I kind of like to focus on getting the song as vibey as possible including the vocals from the get go. When we were writing the hook we were listening to references and we got onto the Bee Gees and Ben goes 'I haven’t pushed my falsetto that high before', so we gave it a crack and it stuck! So this song is really special! There aren’t a lot of male voices on the album and while that wasn’t totally deliberate I’ve just found myself gravitating towards female and non-binary singers and songwriters in the past few years. But Ben’s voice is so singular, in my estimation he’s one of the only Australian male vocalists out there who can do justice to Soul.”

With the release of Better Man comes the video featuring Alex Dyson, a household name in Australia, having notably served as a triple j radio personality, and most recently, the host of chaotic ZOOMba classes during quarantine. The video for Better Man similarly showcases Dyson’s dancing chops, following him while he does a series of grandiose interpretive movements, reinventing himself as he solitarily moves throughout an empty building. Watch the video here.

Next up, Alice Ivy will be performing this Saturday, May 30 at 8 a.m. EDT / 10 p.m. AEST as part of Jägermeister Presents... Iso-Late festival streaming live at www.isolaidfestival.com.

Melbourne's Alice Ivy (aka Annika Schmarsel) sits at the intersection of producer and tastemaker. A revered collaborator, she’s equally adept at uncovering new dimensions to well established, household names as she is seeking out and helping to break new ones. For Alice Ivy, platforming new artists and helping new voices to break-through to the mainstream goes beyond just tastemaking. 

Between releases, Alice Ivy has grown into one of Australian electronica’s most prominent advocates. Through her choice of collaborators, many of whom are female-identified and non-binary, Alice Ivy is working to diversify the sound and look of the traditionally male-dominated studio space. Across Don’t Sleep, her refined curatorial skills are on full display, as Thelma Plum, Ecca Vandal, Ngaiire, Benjamin Joseph of SAFIA, Odette, Bertie Blackman, Imbi and many more come together within Alice’s creative orbit.

Don't Sleep is the follow-up to Alice Ivy's 2018 debut, I'm Dreaming, and her star has steadily risen in her native Australia, where her singles top triple j radio on a regular basis. Last year, Gorilla Vs. Bear premiered "the absurdly charming" video for her "glorious new sunshine soul anthem In My Mind," going on to call it "the feel-good summer jam we needed right now." The second single Sunrise featuring Cadence Weapon was released with a colorful animated video. Clash Magazine remarked on its "funky thrills" and further praised the track saying: "There are shades of ‘70s radio, even a bit of early hip-hop, all blended into this furiously original package."

Don’t Sleep was announced in early April with the title track as a single (created in collaboration with Imbi and BOI), along with a vibrant video featuring junior motocross riders. Alice Ivy shared: "Something special happened between us and I think it had a lot to do with how inspired we were feeling after a week at an all-female/non-binary camp. We came up with a super powerful song and it’s definitely one of my favorite collabs I’ve ever been a part of. The lyric, 'Our bodies are ours so keep your hands away' hits me every time I hear it. It’s an empowering song."

DON’T SLEEP TRACKLISTING:
1. Champagne Late Nights
2. Sunrise (feat. Cadence Weapon)
3. In My Mind (feat. Ecca Vandal)
4. Ticket To Heaven (feat. Thelma Plum)
5. Don't Sleep (feat. Imbi and BOI)
6. I'll Find It (feat. Odette)
7. Sweetest Love (feat. Montaigne and Bertie Blackman)
8. All Hit Radio (feat. Teef and TESSA)
9. Better Man (feat. Benjamin Joseph)
10. My Turn (feat. Swsh)
11. Money (feat. Dijah SB)
12. All In For You (feat. Ngaiire)
13. Gold (feat. Bertie Blackman)

DOWNLOAD – hi-res press photo
DOWNLOAD – album cover artwork

www.aliceivymusic.net