Foley played three tracks from their debut album for their Rolling Stone AU/NZ ‘In My Room’ session.
The Kiwi pop duo of Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett performed directly from the former’s nicely decorated lounge, the pair looking like perhaps the snazziest dressed ‘In My Room’ performers in a long while (although your jeans appeared to be on fire, Gabriel).
Foley released their highly-anticipated first album, Crowd Pleaser, at the end of August, and decided to begin their ‘In My Room’ session with the album’s opener, “What Got Into You”, carefully removing the glossy pop sheen of the original for a stripped back version.
That was followed by “Smooth It Over’, one of the album’s older tracks. “It’s about not hiding the bad parts of yourself, or the things that you don’t like about yourself, when you’re falling in love,” Ash says before playing the track, adding after a pause to much hilarity, “and just letting it all hang out.”
For their last ‘In My Room’ track, Foley performed “Heal My Heart’, which went through a transformation during the album’s recording process. “It was actually one of the more down to earth, low key songs on the album,” Gabriel explains. “We originally wrote this as an upbeat, sad dance banger, but we quickly realised that the instrumentation did not fit the lyrics.”
Since its release, Foley’s debut album has been garnering widespread positive reviews.
“Aotearoa’s current Y2K-era pop movement is being kicked into overdrive thanks to Foley,” wrote Rolling Stone AU/NZ in a four-star review. “The duo turn things up a notch following 2021’s Vacation EP with this debut effort. Foley show off their production chops with a synth-driven pop-sugar rush.
“Standout tracks “Killing Me Babe” and “What Got Into You” — which sounds like a cross between Betty Who, Dagny and vintage Pixie Lott — explore the complications of human connection. Sharp, analytical, and deeply confessional, Crowd Pleaser reminds you of the kind of trouble you welcome with open arms.”
Foley head to Brisbane for BIGSOUND this week, performing two showcases on Wednesday and Thursday (more information here).
You can watch Foley’s full ‘In My Room’ session above.
Foley’s Crowd Pleaser is out now.
