Crowded House Announce New Album 'Gravity Stairs'

Just a week after dropping their first new song in three years, Oh Hi, Crowded House have officially announced their eighth album, Gravity Stairs. The new LP follows the group’s 2021 LP Dreamers Are Waiting.

In addition to announcing their new album, Crowded House recently signed a global recordings deal with BMG. Frontman Neil Finn said about the move, “We’re delighted to work with the good people at BMG who we already know love music and hold us in high regard. It feels like a new beginning.”

They join a label roster with Chet Faker, Kylie Minogue, Daniel Johns, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Spiritbox and many more.

Heath Johns, BMG President, Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia, added, “Few artists from this region have enjoyed the global success of Crowded House. Beyond the sales, beyond the streams, Crowded House songs have reached iconic status across generations.

“Gravity Stairs features some of the best work the band has ever produced, and we can’t wait to share this incredible album with the world.”

The band have also released a music video for the joyous single, Oh Hi. Inspired by children and Finn’s thoughts about “how much we need to let them learn and grow in safety and love,” the music video sees a young child with Finn’s face singing and dancing freely.

In a press release, Finn said about the clip, “I love the way kids dance; I wish I could move like that. This fanciful video by Frank and Beans Pictures is about as close as I'll ever get.” You can watch the music video below.

Gravity Stairs was made in partnership with producer Steven Schram (Paul Kelly, San Cisco), who watched on as Crowded House’s current line-up – Neil Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom, and Finn's sons Elroy and Liam – produced another set of magical songs.

The album was influenced by a set of heavy stone stairs – figurative “gravity stairs” – near Finn’s favourite vacation spot that inspired him as a creator.

The singer-songwriter explained, “It's a metaphor for getting a little older and becoming aware of your own mortality, your own physicality. Things are getting a little harder, and there's more determination needed to get to the top, but there's still the same compulsion to climb them.”

Gravity Stairs will be released on Friday, 31 May, via BMG. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here.

The band’s 2021 album, Dreamers Are Waiting, was their first album in over ten years. It followed 2010’s Intriguer and debuted at #2 on the ARIA Albums Chart upon its release.