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.