The Avalanches Member On Delay Of 'Wildflower': 'I Was Diagnosed With Autoimmune Diseases'

For The Avalanches fans, 16 grueling years of waiting and wondering finally came to an end with last week's release of their hugely anticipated sophomore album Wildflower and in a new interview, group member Robbie Chater has explained the reasons as to why it took so long to release new material, revealing that he was diagnosed with autoimmune diseases a few years back. 

Speaking to Pitchfork, Chater said the delay was a combination of getting permission to use samples from other artists and his illness. 

"As far as samples, they started clearing stuff years ago, but then there would be some hold-up and they’d have to go back and renegotiate," he said. 

"People would give permission for us to use the sample, and then a certain amount of time would elapse and they would Google who the band is and be like, 'Oh shit, I can ask for more money.' That sort of thing took forever.

"There were also three years in the mid-2000s when I was really unwell," he continued. 

"I was diagnosed with a couple of separate autoimmune diseases, so I was out of action."

Check out our track-by-track review of Wildflower here.