Los Angeles-based duo The Bird and the Bee announced that they are releasing a new album, Recreational Love, on July 17th, 2015.

Recreational Love is the duo’s first album of original material since 2009’s Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future. But, a press release notes that, “Recreational Love perhaps more closely follows their 2010 album Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates.”

This upcoming release is sophisticated, dreamlike, sweetly off kilter and dance-ready. It strips away the layered sound that was present on The Bird and the Bee’s previous releases, and in doing so, allows their smooth melodies to shine.

Recreational Love came to be over a some five years of writing and recording. “We didn’t mean to take so long but life ended up getting in the way, in a great way,” said vocalist Inara George, who formed the duo with multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin in 2005.

In the midst of pursuing other projects — George also sings in the indie-folk supergroup the Living Sisters, Kurstin’s a Grammy Award-nominated producer who’s recently worked with the likes of Sia, Lykke Li, and Charli XCX — the two met most once a week at Kurstin’s studio to create their latest batch of finely textured retro-pop with a hint of R&B that adds some warm grooves this time around. The songs on Recreational Love capture the easy intimacy of their collaboration and lets listeners slip into the band’s own charmed and secret world.

The band is performing two sold out shows at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on May 11 and 12th, and they have added an additional show at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on July 12th. Tickets for the Theatre at Ace Hotel show go on sale Friday May 8th at 10am PT. And lastly, The Bird and the Bee will be having a special album release concert at New York City’s Webster Hall on July 17th. Tickets for the Webster Hall show are on sale, now.

The Bird and the Bee Tour Dates


May 11: Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever (SOLD OUT)
May 12: Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever (SOLD OUT)

July 12: Los Angeles, CA @ Theatre at Ace Hotel

July 17: New York, NY @ Webster Hall