Home Music Music Features

Song You Need to Know: Recitals, ‘Champion Runner’

The Flying Nun collective return with the first taste of a new EP, arriving in September

Recitals

Supplied

Flying Nun supergroup Recitals are returning with a new EP, I GOT GOLD!, coming in September.

The EP, which blends old and new tracks, is described as a love letter to each other and their local scene, “set in an alternate reality, a private joke universe, translated to the best of their ability.”

Recorded at Newton’s The Surgery, the five-track collection features producers James Goldsmith (DARTZ, Beastwars) and Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins).

In the meantime, Recitals have teased the release with the EP’s first preview, “Champion Runner,” a soaring, off-kilter track with marching beats and a theatrical trumpet.

Inspired by American track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson, who won gold in Paris, it seems the band may have bonded over the Olympics this winter.

With lines like “I got gold, but I’m still losing,” the track captures the relatable blend of triumph and struggle, reflecting the EP’s title.

The band have also shared a DIY karaoke video for “Champion Runner.” Watch and sing along below.

I GOT GOLD! is set for digital release on Friday, September 27th, via Flying Nun Records, with a limited vinyl run available at the end of November. Proceeds from the vinyl will go to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

Wellington’s seven-member Recitals released their debut album Orbit I via the same label in 2022, two years after forming.

They’ve since become known for their genre-bending sound, with 2023 Taite Music Prize winner Princess Chelsea describing their music as “equal parts dreamy, dirge, chaotic, refined, heavy and soft – a glittering throwback to a bygone era.”

Recitals have played at festivals like Camp A Low Hum, CubaDupa, and Newtown Festival, and were nominated for Favourite Album and Favourite Group at the Student Radio Network Awards in 2022. The members now live across three continents, coming together for occasional music-making and performances.

Recitals’ “Champion Runner” is out now. I GOT GOLD! EP is out Friday, September 27th.