On a plane of existence far removed from ours, H3000, the new musical collaboration from Luke Steele (Empire Of The Sun, The Sleepy Jackson) and Jarrad Rogers (Charli XCX, Lana Del Rey) announces the release of their cosmic self-titled debut album, set for release on September 17 via EMI/Astralwerks.
The secrets of H3000 reveal themselves slowly but surely. The debut album contains songs of love, loss, and camaraderie that channel tragedy into brilliant, affirming hope. The entirety of H3000’s seven track self-titled debut album is a hypnotic synthesis of pop, electronic music, and classic song writing that plays like a world unto itself.
New single “Running”, the follow up to March release “July Heat”, is transportive and strange, a slow-brewing storm of a song that sees Steele reflecting on the loss of a friend — and the internal strength that builds in the wake of a tragedy. “Words are very powerful; they hold poison or peace, hope or heartbreak. The song Running talks about taming the tongue and understanding the strength it has.” Says Steele of the song.
Layered with gossamer, awe-inspiring production by Rogers, “Running” is one of the most personal songs on the record. “Running is special to me because it was one of the first records Luke and I collaborated on. I still remember getting a rough vocal through from Luke, pressing play, and by the time I’d heard the chorus, I was in such awe that I’d thrown my phone to the other side of the room.” says Rogers.
The video for “Running” is a visually sublime futuristic world having been built in gaming software Unreal Engine by Andrew van der Westhuyzen and the talented team at Collider who had this to say about the making of the video: “When I listened to ‘Running’ it immediately conjured up epic, expansive landscapes – endless and formidable, the two figures dwarfed in the sheer scale…The game worlds of today are far more real, rich and breathtaking – giving cinema a run for its money. The H3000 world was built entirely in Unreal, a game engine developed by Epic Games, famous for old school classics like Quake, and most recently the wildly successful ‘Fortnite’”.
Whether it’s the fragility of the human heart, a transformative tragedy or the love of the strange, H3000 comes about from a chance encounter and a musical world yet to be explored. Join ‘LUKE 18’ and ‘MSTR ROGERS’ on this transcendental journey as they take on the year 3000 together. A playable version of Planet 3000, H3000’s visual world, will be made available soon, keep your eyes peeled on your favorite Twitch channels!
