I recently returned from a trip to Australia (as I may have mentioned). Whilst I was there I picked up various new artists I hadn’t heard before, and when in Melbourne checked out quite a few record shops. Melbourne apparently is expecting several new record shops to open this year. I couldn’t resist asking the folks running the stores if they knew anything about a new Avalanches record. And all I got in return were wry smiles.

But now I’m back on the other side of the world, and the Avalanches have announced that they will release their second Wildflower on July 8. This is a mere fifteen years since their debut Since I Left You, which was both a critical and commercial hit in 2001.

The first single from the album is ‘Frankie Sinatra’ which suggests – in the best possible way- that the band have picked up where they left off, in terms of producing catchy songs using cut and paste approach to music and making weird and wonderful videos.

The single features contributions from Danny Brown and MF Doom, as well as sampling ‘My Favourite Things’ from The Sound of Music. The album will also feature contributions from Jennifer Herrema, Warren Ellis and Father John Misty, amongst others.