There is something simultaneously both brand-new and retro about 'All News IsGood News' - the debut album from Melbourne's instrumental soul group Surprise Chef. It sounds like something dreamt up by lo-fi cousins of David Axelrod andJanko Nilovic, with dramatic Library-music-eqsue cinematic arrangements echoing both light and dark, delving into moments of dissonance and positivity. Thereis a meticulous education of 1970's soul on display that touches on thelegacies of the great composer / producers, yet at the same time this is atruly contemporary record that could have only been made now.The first limited pressing of 'All News Is Good News' was released on theband's own 'College Of Knowledge' imprint in November 2019. It slippedrapidly into the collective consciousness of underground music lovers aroundthe world, with all copies selling out within a week and becoming a firmfavourite at Mr Bongo HQ in the process. We felt Surprise Chef had madesomething very special, a future-classic, and that needed to be heard wellbeyond those lucky enough to have bagged those limited first copies. Formed at the end of 2017, Surprise Chef have grown within the fertile,creative, and supportive Melbourne music scene. Whilst the band is comprised offour core members, the album features friends and family as guestinstrumentalists on flute, saxophone, vibraphone, congas, and assortedpercussion; all adeptly recorded by engineer Henry Jenkins from the bandKarate Boogaloo. The warm-raw-authenticity of the album was captured in therecordings live to tape over a handful of sessions in the band's home studio inMelbourne's inner-northern suburb of Coburg. As band member Lachlan Stuckeyexplains "All of the music we record is tracked live to tape, simply because somany of the records we love most were made that way".The results are a captivating journey of instrumental cinematic-soul that willconnect with the hardened Axelrod, Truth & Soul, El Michels Affair, andDaptone's fans, as well as the open-minded first-time listener. We are veryexcited to share this first slice of Surprise Chef's world, with plenty moremagic from these guys coming around the corner very soon.
