THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On Real Power, their first album in 11 years, beloved indie pop/rock trio Gossip reunite with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin, who helmed the band’s pivotal 2009 album Music For Men. At the coaxing of Rubin, the band started recording in 2019 after completing a tour for the 10th anniversary of Music For Men.
Recorded at Rubin’s home studio in Kauai, the process was temporarily halted by the pandemic and resumed when restrictions lifted. The result is an 11-track celebration of creative expression, and the power of chosen family in the aftermath of collective and personal trauma. The timing is ripe for a Gossip reunion, and Real Power heralds a new era and renewed sense of purpose for the trio. “When we began, so much about Gossip was about running away — that was always in the music,” says Ditto. “We survived. We came from nothing, and we got the fuck out of there. And to be here 20 years later and still making music together is just incredible.”
Crazy Again, the first single from Real Power, is a blissful classic that channels the energy of deep connection and joy. “The song is about actually being in love and feeling so safe,” says frontwoman Beth Ditto. The video for Crazy Again has Gossip once again collaborating with director Ssion (Perfume Genius, King Princess). Shot in Kansas City, the clip is classic Gossip, unapologetic and irreverent with unbridled energy. Set against Nathan Howdeshell’s jagged riffs, slabs of synth and Hannah Billie’s pulsing drums, Ditto’s voice remains a thing of wonder; tender, but also capable of unleashing a ferocious range and exuding star power.
The trio’s blistering brand of soulful swagger brought queer politics to the mainstream, confronted body politics head on and singularly refused to be pigeonholed or ignored, landing magazine covers around the world. Ahead of their time they garnered huge critical acclaim and cemented their reputation as one of the most exciting and relevant must-see live bands delivering incredible sets at some of the worlds biggest festivals including Glastonbury, Coachella and Pukkelpop, to name a few. The band’s 2016 breakout studio album, Standing In The Way Of Control, reached No. 1 on U.K. indie charts (certified gold) and solidified the band as a dynamic force in the music scene. The album’s battle-cry title track is a queer anthem written in response to U.S. government’s proposition to define marriage and exclude homosexuals.
A multi-platinum selling band, Gossip have sold over 10 million records worldwide and are one of indie rock’s most exciting acts from the early 21st century. Having been at the heart of the indie sleaze movement, Gossip’s ground-breaking legacy is about to be brought to the forefront once again. It feels like the perfect moment for these straight-talking rebel rousing icons to reunite at a time when the political, cultural, gender and sexuality issues that fired and inspired Gossip’s anthems are so much a part of the zeitgeist.
Frontwoman Ditto remains a global icon and bona fide music, fashion, feminist and LGBTQ+ trailblazer. Embedded into the fashion world; from performances and walking the runway for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Fendi, Cartier, Gucci, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, Versace and Alexander Wang, she has also collaborated with Calvin Klein (global underwear campaign alongside Bella Hadid & Naomi Cambell), Gaultier for her own collection, Jacobs on an exclusive T, and launched her own makeup range.”
