Sydney Shoegaze royalty, The Laurels have returned with their first single release since 2019. Self-described as Funk-Infused Psychedelia, ‘Ex Sherpa’ runs for around five and half minutes and leads the listener up into high altitude with grooving electric piano stabs, flowing vocal melodies and thumping Manchester drum patterns. Once again the band has re-emerged, this time from involuntary hiatus, delivering the reintroduction we all needed through a meditation on Eastern vs Western thought and the connected nature of the inner and outside world.

Watching the documentary ‘Sherpa’, Piers (the lyricist of the track) couldn’t help but sympathise for the humble and hardworking mountain guides of Everest. There was something symbolic about the Sherpa’s life that resonated with Piers.

“The lyrics endeavour to document the process of realisation that doing any type of work or activity that isn't spiritually rewarding can manifest in ill health and inner/outer turmoil.”

Recorded with Lachlan Mitchell at Parliament Studios, the single is part of a larger body of material that saw the band divert from the previous DIY approaches of cult classic albums, Plains (2012) and Sonicology (2016), into a more structured formula. Eager to test themselves under studio pressures and creative restrictions, the band accessed fresh ground via unique instrumental pallets and external direction. While admittedly “blowing out” on additional overdubs, the group maintained their reputation for developing complex and gripping arrangements – regardless of time and resources required.

As mainstays of the Sydney rock scene, Third Eye Stimuli is thrilled to announce The Laurels formal signing to the label. ‘Ex-Sherpa’ will be released on all digital platforms on October 14th, with much more to come from The Laurels leading into 2022.