Kimbra is back with a completely new sound that everyone should know.

‘Everybody Knows’ is the first single from the NZ artist’s third album Primal Heart, coming early next year.

Premiering on Drive yesterday, it’s unlike any Kimbra we’ve heard before, and sees the ‘Settle Down’ singer moving away from her power jazz-pop roots into bare, ethereal, alt-pop and experimental RnB, reminiscent of acts like Dirty Projectors, Deradoorian or Little Dragon.

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Speaking to Veronica and Lewis, Kimbra explained the reason for the comparison.

“Those are two of my favourite bands, and I’ve been really lucky to work with Dave Longstreth. The Dirty Projectors I consider to be one of the most future bands and Dave as a mind he’s just always looking to approach things from a different perspective,” she said.

Dave Longstreth is just one of the many big names she’s worked with since living in the US.

“There’s always been amazing people I’m working with and bringing into the circle but in a way I’ve been intentional about this record being quite a focus less on features and more about my message,” she told triple j.

“It’s definitely been a journey of different people coming through the studio but less from the point of collaborations with other vocalists and more just bringing their sound in on the background ... “It’s more a cast of characters.”

She said the track is a good conduit into the overall record, and should attune fans to the new Kimbra.

“It’s very much a record where I am exposing myself in a new way for people, showing a different side and feeling more courage to bring my voice out of things,” she said.

“I think being a producer I love to put a lot of texture and sound design into things which is a lot of fun but with this album I’m just really interested in telling a story and being very direct with the message, so yeah the song is about coming to see something afresh, confronting it and speaking truth into a situation and the courage it takes to do that.”

Kimbra has been living in New York for two years now, working out over her home studio where she wrote most of the new album.

“I love it there. It’s made so much sense for me I think after LA, I really needed a bit of a change and New York is just, it’s really clicked with me.”

There's just something about the city. Something that speaks to her Primal Heart, we guess.