For pop duo A Great Big World, sometimes you have to go back to move forward. The group, made up of singers and songwriters Ian Axel and Chad King, is best known for the emotional, heart-wrenching power ballad “Say Something,” which debuted back in 2013. Now, the group is using the power of nostalgia to bring about their next creative project.
A Great Big World released their new single “Younger” on Friday (May 11). The upbeat, synth-pop track encapsulates the feeling of nostalgia for the seemingly-endless days of adolescence. Even the song’s inventive lyric video (premiering below) features Axel and King as 8-bit avatars running through a vintage side-scrolling video game.
“I wish I was younger/Barbies and fashion shows with my brother,” King sings on the song’s second verse. “So clear, no fear, no bullies, I didn’t even know/ Where did all that magic go?”
“Younger” is the lead single of A Great Big World’s upcoming self-titled third studio album. Recorded entirely with a live band to encapsulate the band’s high-energy live performances, Axel and King both say that their next album is one of their best to date.
“We made this record with our friends and our band, who have been playing with us for years. We just made the stuff that moved us without trying to be anything but us,” Axel says in an exclusive statement to Billboard, with King adding, “We kind of feel like this is an arrival moment for us.”
The duo have labeled their upcoming self-titled album as one of their most authentic, with each new song exploring a different personal theme that the duo have yet to cover in their previous music, including songs about struggling with OCD, trading New York for California, or even the desire to leave one’s mark on the world.
Watch the lyric video for A Great Big World’s new song “Younger,” and check out the full track list from the group’s upcoming third studio album below.
A Great Big World Track Listing:
1. “Younger”
2. “This Is Magic”
3. “Glowing In the Dark”
4. “You”
5. “When I Was a Boy”
6. “Hey California”
7. “Here Without You”
8. “Can We Go Back Home”
9. “Save Me From Myself”
10. “Hooray For You”
11. “When I Am King”