Snakehips Drop Debut Album 'Never Worry': 'The Vibes Were Just Right'

The popular British house duo Snakehips are finally dropping their debut album, never worry – and they're bringing the party.

Initially underground DJ/producers, Oliver Lee and James Carter first aired the Sinéad Harnett-fronted Days With You in 2014. 

The following year, they officially became a household name with All My Friends, featuring Tinashe and Chance The Rapper – the track multi-platinum in Australia. 

Focussing on singles and EPs, the pair developed a fluid sonic aesthetic, advancing the house and garage revivals while embracing nostalgic R&B and hip-hop. 

Today, Snakehips specialise in warm grooves and melodies with club cool. They've lent their brand to others, too, this year remixing Taylor Swift's romantic paean Lavender Haze off Midnights.

Snakehips have been commended for their bold collabs – ZAYN, an underrated R&B vocalist, performing 2016's Cruel. And, for never worry, they've again sought credible guests such as Kilo Kish, Duckwrth, Lucky Daye plus cult Canadian singer/songwriter Rochelle Jordan. 

Snakehips also reunited with both Tinashe and the Southern rap crew EARTHGANG (last heard on 2021's Run It Up). The lead single WATER. features Cali rapper/singer Bryce Vine, son of soap actor Tracey Ross.

Favourites of old with Australian punters, twice joining Groovin The Moo, Snakehips have previously commissioned Aussie remixers like Ta-ku – and, for never worry, they recruited homegrown vocal stars Tkay Maidza and Nicole Millar, the former blazing on the banging single Show Me The Money.

Though now recognised as a crossover act to rival Disclosure, Snakehips have regained their independence from Sony. 

Mid-2021, they launched Never Worry Records. And Snakehips are releasing never worry via the fledgling Helix Records – started by Ultra Records' founder (and NFT enthusiast) Patrick Moxey.

Snakehips are currently in the midst of an epic North American tour, having just DJed on the Heineken House stage the second week of Coachella, wrapping shortly before festival headliners Fred again…, Skrillex and Four Tet. 

But Oliver Lee (Snakehips' blond half), has taken time out to chat to Purple Sneakers. Check out what he had to say below.

PS: You're on tour in the US at the moment with a show in New York on Friday. How are you guys celebrating the release of never worry?

Oliver Lee: We're absolutely buzzing to be on tour in the US right now and, with the release of never worry, it's even more special. 

We've been working on this album for a while and it's great to finally see it out in the world. To celebrate, we're going to give our fans the best show we possibly can in NY on Friday. We can't wait to share these new tracks with everyone in person and feel the energy of the crowd.

PS: You've titled this long-anticipated debut album never worry after your label, but it also feels like a statement in a precarious age – with people seeking escape from anxieties. Is there a message?

Oliver Lee: Ha, ha, yeah – it's supposed to be a positive message but also kinda ironic because we worry about everything all the time. 

It's just as much a message to ourselves as well as others. The world can be an overwhelming place and we could all do with worrying less, taking a step back and trying to enjoy the present as much as possible.

PS: Many dance and electronic DJ/producers have pulled away from the album format in recent years, preferring to concentrate on singles, which can feel transitory in comparison. How did you approach never worry – and what did you want to create?

Oliver Lee: Honestly, we were just creating a bunch of vibes that felt like they fitted together nicely and would work as a body of music together. 

Our style has historically been a bit all over the place and this just felt like a good time to release an album as the vibes were just right. 

In terms of writing it, we just made a whole bunch of songs and kept going until we had a really good bunch of ideas that we loved. We tend to write things, then have some time apart from them and then, if we still love them coming back to it, then we'll finish them up. 

It was also our first time working with an independent label [Helix Records] and kinda, after a year or so of doing our own label, having a place we could make the album we wanted to make without loads of major label pressure for it to sound a certain way.

PS: Do you yourselves have any favourite dance/electronic albums?

Oliver Lee: So many... Some that come to mind are things like Flying Lotus, Los Angeles, Hudson Mohawke, Butter, Mount Kimbie, Crooks & Lovers – there are loads more, ha, ha.

PS: In terms of album curation, you've worked with a couple of beloved Australian names – most notably Tkay Maidza on Show Me The Money. How did you and Tkay connect? What were your creative exchanges with her like?

Oliver Lee: We'd been talking about doing a record with Tkay for a while and had been sending ideas back and forth, beats and vibes, etc! We've been fans of hers for years and always thought a kind of hip-hop house tune with her on it would be so dope. 

This one came out of an idea she had started that we flipped, and then we got in the studio in Los Angeles a couple of months ago to finish up. She's so talented and full of cool ideas; [it] was awesome to work on this one with her.

PS: You also reunited with Tinashe – who, of course, sang on All My Friends alongside Chance The Rapper. What do you most enjoy about working with her? Do you have more collabs planned?

Oliver Lee: We love working with Tinashe – she's an incredible artist. When we started working on All My Friends, we knew that Tinashe would be the perfect fit for the track. We have a great creative chemistry with her and she brings so much to the table. 

As for future collaborations, we're always open to working with Tinashe again. There were a couple of other ideas that came out of the sessions we did, so you never know.

PS: Lately you brilliantly remixed Taylor Swift's Lavender Haze. She's known to be very hands-on with her career. What feedback did you get from her?

Oliver Lee: That was a really fun remix to do – she actually had picked us to do it based on a previous remix we'd done that she loved the vibe of. 

So, getting into it, we kinda had a direction in mind of what would work and where we wanted to take it anyway. It turned out great – [it was] just a case of re-harmonising the vocal melody and taking it to a more moody electronic disco type of vibe.

PS: Snakehips have now been extant for a decade – moving between house, R&B and even hip-hop; underground and pop. How do you feel your sound and sensibilities have evolved or changed in that time?

Oliver Lee: It's been an amazing journey for us over the past decade. When we started out, we were just two friends making music for fun; literally just lo-fi hip-hop beats with Rush Hour 2 samples in them. 

I think we've grown so much as people and musicians since then and the music has reflected that over the years. I think there are still bits of our music – and definitely the album – that stay true to that OG vibe, and then some other things [have] more energy and tempo. 

Honestly, we have just always made whatever we felt like and, having been doing it for a while, it's just evolved and mutated over time.

PS: How has the dynamic between you changed, too – what are each of your strengths in Snakehips? Do you balance each other?

Oliver Lee: Honestly, it hasn't changed hugely. I think we've both just developed different sides of our game and it's just become easier to work together having done it for so long.

PS: Dance/electronic music seems to be entering a new era. Fred again.. fortuitously headlining Coachella as an intergenerational unit with Skrillex and Four Tet (which you played too!) – it feels like a good time for the music culture. What trends, macro or micro, do you discern in the scene?

Oliver Lee: Yeah, it definitely feels really encouraging that someone like Fred again.. has blown up so much. His style of sampling and stuff was so original and cool and there's so much substance to it compared to what would usually be big in the dance world. 

It definitely seems like a very post-COVID reflective message alluding to feeling lost and confused about the future. 

It [also] seems like drum 'n' bass is finally having a proper moment outside of the UK – and I guess it's always had a place in Australia and New Zealand – in pop music. 

I heard an awesome record last time we were in Australia called Whip by Memphis LK. There's so much dope indie/drum 'n' bass crossover that I really love – and I can see that becoming a big thing.

I think maybe all the conventional BPMs have been done to death, so these types of more underground UK sounds are really exciting and exotic-sounding across the world.

PS: Now that you have released an album, what is the next big challenge for Snakehips?

Oliver Lee: The release of our album was a big milestone for us, but we're always looking ahead to the next thing. 

We launched our own label in 2021, so we just wanna keep building that up and releasing cool vibes through that. There'll be loads of touring and new tunes really soon. We're just enjoying the creative process so much at the moment.

PS: You have a strong grassroots fandom in Australia, most recently playing For The Love. Are there any plans to return soon?

Oliver Lee: Australia has always been a really special place for us. It was the first place in the world where a lot of our music blew up and it's felt like a second home to us over the years. 

We've had so much fun over the years and made so many good friends. [We're] hoping we can make another trip down there this year or, if not, early next year!