NEWS
Soulwax have unveiled a powerful new single titled ‘Perfect We Are Not’, a track they created, recorded and first performed at Abbey Road during a special late night rave event.
The release arrives after the Belgian brothers hosted a five hour rave inside the legendary London studio for around 300 fans who secured access through an online ballot held last month.
The show marked a historic moment for the famous studio. Just two days before the event, the duo recorded the new song inside Studio Two at Abbey Road. The track, ‘Perfect We Are Not’, was pressed straight onto vinyl and premiered as the opening record in their 2manydjs DJ set.
The track has now been officially released and was created together with their complete live band, which features three drummers.
When the song was introduced during the Abbey Road performance, the crowd reacted instantly with huge enthusiasm, suggesting it could easily become a future club favourite. You can listen to the official audio of the bold and hypnotic track above and pre order the 12 inch vinyl here.
The Abbey Road event also marked the first occasion the historic venue welcomed the public for this type of experience, with the rave taking place inside the famous Studio One. It also introduced Soulwax’s DEEWEE Soundsystem for the first time, inspired by the legendary Paradise Garage venue in New York.
“It’s hard to say whether we have a perverse or healthy attraction to crazy ideas, that’s for other people to decide, really,” the Dewaele brothers explained before the performance. “So to be approached with a crazy idea is one thing, but to be approached with a crazy idea by the most iconic recording studio in music history is even more attractive.”
“We embrace and accept this challenge and also sincerely hope this won’t be the last rave at Abbey Road.” They also went on to produce a documentary about the event, which you can watch above.
Soulwax released ‘All Systems Are Lying’, their first album in more than seven years, in October and described the expansive double record as “a rock album made without any electric guitars”.
They later followed it up with two double single releases, ‘All Systems Are Lying’/‘Run Free’ and ‘Gimme A Reason’/’Meanwhile On The Continent’, as well as the standalone single ‘New Earth Time‘.
Following that, they shared their well known ‘Nite Version’ remixes of the newer material and recently completed their 2026 tour, which included major performances at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester and O2 Academy Brixton in London.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
