Mere months prior to the release of their forthcoming sophomore EP, Overseas, French indie pop duo Djakarta release their infectious new folk-inspired electro pop single, “Looking For Attention” — available now.
If you remember Djakarta from their self-titled debut release, this will be a brand-new listening experience for you. “Looking For Attention” marks the beginning of new beginnings for Paris-born brothers Raphaël and Tristan Stuart.
After stepping onto the scene with their debut EP in 2017, Djakarta have released a handful of singles, including: 2020’s “Any Open Door,” a cover of Lil Nas X’s Grammy Award-winning 2019 hit, “Old Town Road,” and the low-key folk track “Leave it for Tomorrow” from earlier this year.
This time around — and for the entire new EP — Djakarta has set aside the live, electric rock-type vibes of their inception in favour of a more modern-sounding, electronically enhanced and ultimately more organic production, which, after hearing the brand-new single, you will hear is much better suited to their current folk-pop inclinations.
This doesn’t mean they’ve completely abandoned where they started off, though.
Before breaking out into a signature, catchy electro pop synth melody, “Looking For Attention” kicks off with a soft acoustic guitar intro, which is bound to make you want to dust off the old axe. After a few bars, the listener is treated with interchanging vocal lines from the multi-instrumentalist Stuart brothers and Hawaiian singer/songwriter Keilimei, AKA Keilimeilani Trahan.
Overseas will feature five original tracks and will be released on the brothers’ very own record label: Lyrebird Records. According to the duo, the project is intended to “evoke the endless ocean between two continents” while also relating to the “dualistic nature” of their music and songwriting.
This “dualistic” nature also refers back to their band name. Yes, it was named after the city of Jakarta — a location they respectively hold dear to their hearts — but why exactly did the Stuart siblings put the letter ‘D’ in front of it? Well, according to the self-described “adventurers,” they used a ‘D’, because it could stand for many things, including: “duality,” “Duo,” or “double citizenship,” as they have spent their lives living between the world’s most romantic city, Paris, and their father’s own homeland down under: Melbourne, Australia.
“Looking for Attention” is available now. Overseas is available Fall 2021.
