Crowded House are back with their first new song in three years, Oh Hi.
Their new single is cheerful and fun, showcasing the New Zealand/Australian group's effortless pop sensibilities and storytelling capabilities.
Oh Hi is inspired by frontman Neil Finn's support for So They Can, an international non-profit organisation focused on building schools in remote parts of Kenya and Tanzania. Finn commented in a press release, "I was inspired by children and thinking how much we need to let them learn and grow in safety and love.
"Then we could learn from them. There are so many out of view that can be magnificent if only given a microphone and a lightbulb."
Oh Hi was produced by Crowded House and Steven Schram, who's known for working with the likes of Paul Kelly and San Cisco. You can listen to the single below.
The track follows the band's June 2021 album, Dreamers Are Waiting, which claimed Best Adult Contemporary Album at the ARIAs.
The release was their first studio album in over a decade, following on from 2010's Intriguer - Finn joined Fleetwood Mac in 2018 and later recruited his sons, Liam and Elroy, for the return of Crowded House - and debuted at #2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
In a The Music album review, writer Liz Giuffre summarised, "Together, the album is a collection of little three-minute (ish) marvels - lush, whimsical and interesting. There's also the gentle comfort that so much of the music during this time has brought when we didn't quite know what else could do it. It's a perfect cocktail of escapism and whimsy."
Last year, reports surfaced that Crowded House were in contention to perform at the AFL Grand Final. The information read, "Crowded House was rumoured to have been locked in for the performance months ago and was confirmed to have bailed on the coveted slot on Monday [7 August]."
The AFL were working diligently behind the scenes to book an act as beloved as Crowded House for months. Later, the AFL announced KISS would headline the pre-game entertainment.
