New Zealand juggernaut Fat Freddys Drop return with a new studio album, Special Edition Part 1, due for digital release on 15th November, with 2LP Vinyl and CD following up on 10th January. The 45rpm vinyl edition is produced with a different track order across four sides and promises to deliver super fat loud audio.

Part 1 of a double album, Special Edition Part 1, comprises of six tracks of which Raleigh Twenty, Trickle Down and Six-Eight Instrumental were written and recorded undercover at the bands Wellington studio, BAYS, while the other tracks; Special Edition, Kamo Kamo, and OneFourteen, have all been developed and evolved from the bands celebrated live jam sessions, whilst on the road in front of audiences worldwide.

Supremely crafted at Freddys own BAYS studio in hometown Wellington, the deep musical and rich vocal layers reflect Freddys inspiration from the black music lexicon and is a response to the crowd energy at their world dominating live shows.

Special Edition Part 1 is the first release of a long envisaged double album project with separate chapters. The next journey, Part 2 will be released in 2020 after stringent road-testing with audiences over 35 shows across New Zealand, UK and Europe celebrating the release of the Part 1. These upcoming live performances will allow the band to fully explore new song-writing technology and give rise to a slamming Part 2.

The new album follows on from 2015s BAYS LP, which saw support from Financial Times, Resident Advisor, Dummy, the DJ Mag and Clash-acclaimed Blackbird, second album Dr Boondigga and the Big BW – which gained rave reviews by The Guardian and BBC Music – and the bands record breaking debut album Based on a True Story, which went nine times platinum and remained in New Zealands top 40 charts for over two years after its release in 2005.