Acclaimed Sydney act Winston Surfshirt today unveils new sophomore album Apple Crumble, out via Sweat It Out (AU/NZ) / Infectious (UK) / Vagrant (US) amidst a regional tour. Prolific in taste and genre-binding precision, the multi-talented Winston and his band of maestros are well on their way to exceeding the pace set by 2017’s acclaimed debut LP, Sponge Cake.

Apple Crumble emerges from the oven with 12 tracks bearing the iconic Winston aroma that has forged a formidable band of followers across the globe. Finding a base in 90s hip-hop and stripped back jazz flavours, dashed with condiments of R&B, funk and soul courtesy of each Surfshirt’s hand, their leading man’s rhymes come alive like never before oozing confidence as he whips out charmed words of love. A law unto himself, Winston Surfshirt sees no bounds in his recipe for some of Australia’s finest left-centre grooves, as he manipulates the styles the act rep best into a fresh baked feast for all the senses, as good as Grandma’s pie. Enlisting the help of LOXE (NAO, Stormzy), Owen Cutts (Big Zuu, Tom Walker) and George Nicholas (Seekae, George Maple, Cloud Control) for additional production, the album defines a whole new league for the project.

Welcoming the world to Apple Crumble is the chilled jazz hold of “Need You”, embraced by a 90s hip-hop beat to base the palate and spikes of brass which bleed into the mellow atmospherics of 2018’s returning single “For The Record”. Keys gilded with charisma ignite the pace of “Since I Saw You There” gripped by a catchy vocal hook and souled out splendours, while “That Just Don’t Sit Right” hosts a tale of romantic suspicion infused with the Winston spice. UK tones that have bubbled beneath the LP’s first leg rise to the surface in serenade “NobodyLikeYou”, pinpointed in upbeat percussion and undercut by a computer-generated voice sequence that eggs the beat on.
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“Show Love” introduces a punching brass blueprint dazzled by funky pricks of guitar, tender keys and the impeccable rhymes of their namesake, before their cocktail of sultry R&B and soul-driven vocals come to form in the glimmer of “Smile”. A down-tempo groove sets the stage for a waltz of trombone, trumpet and chorus in “Where Did All Your Love Go”, sliding into the evolved, back-beat sound and nods to old-school funk and R&B in “Make A Move”. Slick production with a twinge of jazz sensibilities do not waver in “Crypto”, inviting a layered vocal chorus punctuated by darting retro keys. Written and recorded at Winston’s UK childhood home in Bolney, West Sussex, “Someone New” arrives with the symmetry of soothed R&B, indelible hip-hop, and a classic record scratch, before the soft-spoken notes of “Bolney Stage 2” take the final bite.

Apple Crumble arrives amid a regional tour for the esteemed 6-piece, next heading to Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel on November 15 for a release celebration like no other. The band next arrive at Maroochydore’s Sol Bar for 2 nights on November 16 & 17, followed by Spilt Milk Canberra on November 23, a Uni Bar takeover in Hobart on November 29 and a return to Spilt Milk Ballarat on November 30. Wrapping up, Bunbury’s Prince of Wales receives a dose of new music on December 6, before a final show ignites Margaret River’s Settlers Tavern on December 7. 2020 will see the guys take the new album to festivals around New Zealand & Australia, before jetting off to the UK & Europe. Stopping off in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, the act will then wrap up their tour with a huge show at Brixton Electric in London.

Apple Crumble marks Winston Surfshirt’s second full-length release, the younger, wiser sibling to the ambitious 2017 debut and triple j Feature Album, Sponge Cake. Setting the unstoppable pace for its successor, the applauded LP bound together brass, hip-hop sensibilities and airy vocals to garner far-reaching praise from international tastemakers, including Beats 1 host Zane Lowe, Sir Elton John, Jason Bentley (KCRW), Huw Stephens, Phil Taggart (BBC Radio 1), and Lauren Laverne (BBC Radio 6). Since, returning singles “For The Record”, “Make A Move”, the effervescent “Smile” and "Need You" have paved the way to a second full-length release and built the anticipation to something worth drooling over in Apple Crumble.

Having developed a cult following for their smooth style and raucous live shows, the band’s unique blend of funk, soul and hip-hop originally emerged as the solo project of singer/rapper/producer Winston Surfshirt, before organically adopting other local artists and snowballing into what is now a musical collective filling each stage they grace to the brim. From a sell-out debut national Sponge Cake tour in 2017, to their biggest national tour yet in 2019 and festival billings at Splendour In The Grass, Spilt Milk, Falls Festival, Field Day and sold-out British & European shows in between, Winston Surfshirt continue to sell out crowds at home and abroad.

With the crisp Apple Crumble on the table and plenty of mouths to feed across the country, be sure to follow the second chapter of Winston Surfshirt closely.

APPLE CRUMBLE IS OUT NOW - BUY/STREAM HERE
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