Following on from the release of their highly-praised singles ‘The Woods’ and ‘Empty Streets’, which went onto receive love from Lauren Laverne on BBC 6Music and landed on Spotify’s All New Indie and Indie Pop playlists, South African dream pop band Diamond Thug now return to deliver their latest sweeping delight ‘Backpush’ on July 24th through Kudukudu Records.
Diamond Thug are one of South Africa’s most streamed Independent artists, having received over 10M streams over the last 18 months through their own independent label Kudukudu Records. Their latest single ‘Backpush’ sees them explore more of that smooth and ambient sound they have been pushing since their infancy. With its pulsing bassline and sweeping vocals, this new gem highlights more of their atmospheric aesthetic through a lens of shimmering intensity and progressive production.
Speaking about the new offering, the band said, “’Backpush’ is a song about feeling stuck in a self-destructive cycle of one’s own mistakes and self-doubt. It’s about staring at the sun in the depth of winter, coming to terms with one’s imperfection and opting for a more playful attitude in accepting that we habitually fuck up and may continue to do so but that’s part of human nature. We make mistakes. This song is a big release of the pent up frustration of feeling stuck. Sonically it throws back to the 2000s pop-punk we grew up listening to.”
Since their formation, Diamond Thug has continually evolved, always striving to create a unique sound that stays true to their perspective. Their music glides through dream-pop, skittish, off-kilter electronica & psychedelic-rock, creating cosmic-influenced ethereal soundscapes, which swirl below Chantel’s haunting, yet beautiful melodies. The pursuit of an authentic & honest sound has earned the band various honours in international competitions such as Culture Collide’s pick to perform at #SXSW2017, as well as Converse’s Music Global Takeover and the attention of Grammy Award winner Darryl Torr, who had this to say about the band: “When listening to Diamond Thug, you are taken on a journey. It’s the effortless vocals, supported by a solid band that tips you over the edge & pulls you through into their world. It’s rare to find a voice that can execute such interesting melodies so effortlessly as well as a band that leaves space for the vocals to shine, yet are able to maintain musical integrity.”
They released their 12-track debut album ‘Apastron’ in April 2018. The record was featured as Apple Music’s New Artist Spotlight, an accolade much revered in the South African music industry. They have also received significant playlisting on Spotify gathering over 3 million streams on the album. In May 2018 the band released ‘Gaiafy’, an EP dealing with themes of mental health and other issues important to them. The EP found international support on Apple Music and Spotify, with features on Indie Shuffle.
The band is passionate about South African music, in 2017, bassist, Danilo Queiros started an independent record label: Kudukudu Records to promote other great South African acts to the world.
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