Heavyweight soul providers Fat Freddy's Drop are about to take flight once again with the worldwide release of new album Blackbird.

Featuring nine tracks, Blackbird was written and recorded at Bays, the bands own studio. Situated in Wellington's beach suburb of Lyall Bay, the building was one of the last vinyl pressing plants in NZ before being converted to an Apostolic church in the 70's.

Production maestro DJ Fitchie says, "What you hear on the album is the sound of Bays; the room itself, the vibe of the place and the performance we can get out of the band in there."

"Blackbird is truer to FFD's musical philosophy than anything else we've done", adds saxophonist Chopper Reeds. "The song forms are unruly - just like our live shows - and we've really tried to craft arrangements that showcase Joe Dukie's voice. It's an unholy mix of disco, rootsy dub, blues, soul and electronic funk - but it's what we love to do."