New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sydney, Australia electronic pop duo Mel Blue announces their debut album Sanctuary Point out March 10th via Nettwerk. Along with the exciting news, they unveiled an intoxicating groove "Best Me."
Written with friend and frequent collaborator, Lola Scott, the new song explores the darker side of relationships with a breezy chorus over bouncing basslines and churning beats that sample gospel choir vocals.
Of "Best Me," the duo explains: "Over the past few years our most frequent collaborators have been our close friends. We've spent a lot of time together in the studio and rehearsal rooms, but we've also gone on trips together, partied together, gone to festivals with each other, and grown alongside each other.
Lola Scott has been central to this, both as a friend and collaborator. Writing Best Me with Lola was such a moment for us to lean on one another as friends, and so we thought it'd be fitting to use a stack of her polaroids from many of our moments together for the visualizer."
"Best Me" follows the slew of mesmerizing singles "Driveway," "Everything About You," "Cleopatra," and "You're the Worst Thing to Happen to me Since 1993," all set to appear on Mel Blue's debut album.
At the core of Mel Blue are producers Oscar Sharah (vocals) and Luke Gerber (bass), who created the band as an alter-ego. Shortened from "melancholic blue," Mel Blue grew out of a side project that captured Sharah and Gerber's fascination with clashing emotions.
Reminiscent yet present, lost yet grateful, melancholic yet content, Mel Blue is the point where all these feelings collide. Sharah and Gerber themselves are two sides of the same coin, one bringing pop sensibility and the other an indie-dance edge, together forming a uniquely personal sound.
Despite being relative newcomers to the indie-electronic scene, Oscar and Luke have been writing and producing together for the better part of ten years. After a period of experimentation and growth the duo found their voice in 2018. Luke describes this time as a moment of "clarity" for the two, an experience that ultimately sowed the seeds for their debut album.
"We went to the holiday home of an ex-boss of Oscar's for about a week. This place is on New South Wales' South Coast, in a suburb called Sanctuary Point. Having so much time to focus on music and be bold in our creative choices was totally liberating and life changing."
It's no surprise the duo's debut takes its name from that defining moment in Mel Blue's formation. "That trip really put us on our path musically," Luke affirms. "And given that Mel Blue is such a sanctuary for the two of us, we felt there couldn't be a more fitting title to our first body of work. The album ties together all the music we've released, and a way for us to round off the Pt.I EP."
