Bag Raiders Details

Bag Raider’s long overdue and lovingly anticipated debut self-titled album is finally

complete. Now the boys are ready to sit back, kick their feet up and enjoy the sound

of jaws collectively dropping across the planet as they deliver one of the most well

rounded and unique debut pop albums of the year.

Bag Raiders are the combined talents of Jack Glass and Chris Stracey. Together,

they produce the sparks of light, aural gems and sonic booms that make up one of

the most sought-after up and coming duos on the planet. After dropping singles on

Bang Gang 12s (Fun Punch, Turbo Love) and remixing the likes Cut Copy, Midnight

Juggernauts and Kid Sister, the two’s reputation internationally grew, and when they

released a little ditty titled ‘Shooting Stars’ they reached every dangerous, dark and

smokey corner of the world, making them a household name among in-the-know

indie kids, the sweaty dance faithful and the DJs across the globe.

A collection of thoughts, ideas and memories, Bag Raiders transcends typical dance

and pop boundaries, showcasing the creativity of a band at the forefront of modern

production. The album ticks the right boxes for fans new and old, coming correct

with sing-a-long choruses, deep-breath anthems, blissful chill and pure dancefloor

energy. In short Bag Raiders debut album adds a new dimension in the cluttered and

diluted dance world.

The boys recorded the album deep inside their secret inner-city bunker, where they

grew colonial beards and shut out all natural light, choosing only to surface for fine

wine and an assortment of snorkeling trips. Amidst the candle light and dripping taps

they agonised over structures, waveforms and patterns possessed by a mad desire

to reproduce a synaesthesic wonderland they could picture but could not see.

Part of these precise experiments entailed hand picking a slew of special guests

including Dan Black, Rhys Taylor (Ted & Francis), Simon Jones (The Holidays),

Gisselle Rosselli (Crave You), Martin Solomon (Wim), and putting their vocal chords

to work in a union of sweet melodies.

The first taste of the record and sequel to the aforementioned Shooting Stars will be

the first single Way Back Home. This swirling anthemic affair is a dancefloor call to

arms (or hands in the air), with a beautifully moody performance by Martin Soloman

from Sydney band Wim, who broods his way through a poignant display of affection,

percussion and ecstasy.

The record spirals into a matrix of colour from the opening second of the houseinspired

Castles In The Air. We are then taken through to the soon-to-be festival

favourite Sunlight featuring Dan Black, to the soulful crooning on So Demanding, a

daze inducing electro-lullaby. Prelude represents a new side of the dancing duo, a

slow-burning instrumental centerpiece that takes the album on an express train to

Musicality Central. The album then thumps along with one foot rooted in the dance

world and the other kicking up pop-dust as we are treated with more delights before

wrapping up with the epic closer Way Back Home.

Chances are, if you’ve stumbled into a club, wobbled at a party, looked into the light

at a festival or dawdled along the radio dial in the last 2 years, you’ve been

inadvertently exposed to the Bag Raiders. The culmination of these moments and

experiences you may well have forgotten is now here, in 49 minutes of take home,

glistening glory. Bon appétit.