Indie Duo CHAMPS Share 'My Baby Lorraine'

UK indie duo CHAMPS have shared, "My Baby Lorraine," the next single from their yet-to-be-announced fourth studio album due out in 2023. The track follows the duo's recent single, "Adeleine," which Billboard called "the type of song you'll be happy to have stuck in your head for hours after a single listen."

"The song originally came to life when I absent-mindedly played a bass line on our producer's newly acquired vintage synth," shares David Champion on the making of "My Baby Lorraine," produced by James Thorpe. "The droning note present throughout was only the second layer added to the song, providing a slightly foreboding sense of unsettling urgency, anchoring it and driving it forwards."

"The song chugs and breathes like a mechanical beast and the sense of menace provided by the instrumentation is echoed in its lyrical content; 'you should have been running, I told you it's coming, it's too late to put it aside', a line born from a real-life feud," David continues.

"Mixed by Sean Oakley (Portugal the Man, Frank Ocean), the song became fully realized when LA-based multi-instrumentalist Mikey Wagner added bass guitar, injecting a final dose of human feel to the song's rhythm section."

Musical siblings have a magical quality - they share the same influences, paint from the same sound palette, and trade 'goosebump' moments back and forth with a kind of easy telepathy. Michael and David Champion have been playing together since they were kids, as you'd expect, and they're veterans of the Isle of Wight's exceptional music scene: Michael fronted buzzy indie band The Shutes, and he recently contributed bass to the debut smash by fellow islanders Wet Leg.

Island life, and a childhood steeped in the music of Laurel Canyon, formed a sensibility in the brothers that makes them, in sound and aesthetic, more like an American band: "We've never really considered ourselves a 'British band'," says David. "Our music has always felt transatlantic. It's driving music, big scenery..."

The Champion brothers ​​formed CHAMPS in 2012. The dynamic duo has since released three studio albums; Down Like Gold (2014), Vamala (2015), and The Hard Interchange (2019) receiving critical acclaim from mainstream press and indie tastemakers alike. ​​The Guardian praised their "highly effective pop" in a 4-star review of the second album, while The Line of Best Fit admired a debut which "pays homage to the godfathers, performed amid the disco balls of a train hurtling through time" (8.5/10).

The Independent, Ones to Watch, FLOOD, Q Magazine, BBC Radio 6 Music and many more have also enjoyed the duo's "dazzling" (MOJO) display of writing, but even now, in their new material, it feels as though this is a band who have really hit their stride.

CHAMPS have toured with the likes of Alt-J, Lord Huron, and Wolf Alice and have built a global following with their beautiful delicate harmonies, heartfelt lyrics, and pop-rock melodies.

Watch the new music video here:

Photo Credit: Hollie Fernando