Maribou State Return With Impassioned New Album ‘Hallucinating Love’

|||,

Chris Davids and Liam Ivory, otherwise known as Maribou State, have had a challenging past five years. Friends since their teens in their hometown of Hertfordshire just outside of London, Davids and Ivory have been major players in the world of dance music for over a decade now with their soulful, organic, downtempo electronica sound. In 2020, the fallout of COVID-19 saw the duo’s mental health plummet. A time where the two were set on working on new music because a time of difficulty.

In 2021, Davids began experiencing chronic headaches and ultimately was diagnosed with a rare brain condition called Chiari, a malformation causing pressure to the brain. Over the next two years, the two continued to work on their music with Davids powering through until eventually undergoing surgery in November 2023. In the time after there were serious complications and legitimate concerns that he might not make it. Which brings us to today. After pulling through, Davids and Ivory are closer than ever before, and are ready to present the music they made over this time in their third studio album, Hallucinating Love.

Ten years since their debut album, Portraits, Hallucinating Love arrives in a milestone moment for the duo and carries the weight of a tumultuous few years. It represents hope. “about being in a dark place, a place of struggle, and then looking forward to bright futures,” Davids shared. And the album is one hundred percent worth the wait. It’s beautiful and emotional, with stunning vocal performances, moving melodies, and a restless energy to it. Lead single “Otherside” appears early, injecting energy into the album and features longtime collaborator Holly Walker. She also appears on newcomer “Peace Talk” where she really flexes her passionate vocals over some soaring strings. Davids and Ivory have said their music contains a delicate balance of intricacy and intimacy, and that is so evident in this album. Elaborate and thorough production that just pulls the strings in your heart.

This album also saw the two reach out and work closely with others, creating little makeshift communities wherever they went and with whoever they worked with. The album’s lead single, “Blackoak,” sets the tone for the project as an intricate and intimate number, but features an amateur choir of their friends, recorded in the stairwell of an old country house during one of their stops over the years making this album. The music always hits harder when there is a sense of purpose or a story behind the music and with Hallucinating Love Maribou State created a truly magical and impassioned album.

Maribou State will be keeping busy in 2025, having recently announced a North American Tour including stops in New York, Chicago, Toronto and Coachella. It will be the first time their full band performs live dates on the continent in six years. Check out the tour dates here.

Stream Hallucinating Love below and enjoy!

Maribou State – Hallucinating Love

-Written By: JD Scribner