Controller (song)

Last updated

"Controller"
Single by L.A.B.
from the album L.A.B.
Released31 July 2018 (2018-07-31) [1] [2]
Genre contemporary R&B [3]
Length4:35
Label Loop Recordings Aot(ear)oa
Songwriter(s) Brad Kora
Producer(s) Brad Kora
L.A.B. singles chronology
"Umulash"
(2017)		"Controller"
(2018)		"Midnight Summer"
(2018)
Music video
"Controller" on YouTube

"Controller" is a song by New Zealand band L.A.B., released as a single from their debut album L.A.B. in mid-2018. After the success of the band's song "In the Air" (2019), the song became a hit in New Zealand.

Contents

Composition

"Controller" was one of the first songs the band L.A.B. wrote, inspired by the story of a woman who falls blindly in love with a controlling man. [2] [4] The song incorporates 1980s-style pop synths and percussion. [5]

Release

The song was released as a single in July 2018, alongside the release of the song's music video, directed by Shae Sterling. [1] [2] The song became a hit in 2020 after the release of the band's single "In the Air", becoming the 8th most successful single by a New Zealand artist in 2020. [6]

The song was compiled onto the band's 2023 album Introducing L.A.B. , originally produced as a sampler for their debut European performances. [7]

Critical reception

Dave Tucker of Ambient Light Blog reviewed the song positively, calling it "[the] perfect single piece of team mastery, combin[ing] a sweet soulful sincerity that I like a lot." [8]

Credits and personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Controller"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ) [13] 10× Platinum300,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "L.A.B. Bio". Reggarville. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "VIDEO PREMIERE: L.A.B.'s 'Controller' directed by Shae Sterling". Radio New Zealand . 31 July 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Thompson, Lora (12 December 2017). "L.A.B. - Album Review: L.A.B". muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "L.A.B. - Controller". Mai FM . 20 June 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Shute, Gareth (15 April 2020). "L.A.B." Audio Culture. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Kiwi music dominates the 2020 Official NZ Music Charts". Radio New Zealand . 1 December 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  7. ↑ "Introducing L.A.B." Bandcamp. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Tucker, Dave. "Album Review: L.A.B. – L.A.B." Ambient Light Blog. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "L.A.B. – Controller". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "END OF YEAR CHARTS 2020". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "END OF YEAR CHARTS 2021". NZ Music Charts. RMNZ. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2022". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  13. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – L.A.B. – Controller". Radioscope. Retrieved 29 September 2025.Type Controller in the "Search:" field.
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