Teether & Kuya Neil release new single ‘ZOO’
Teether & Kuya Neil by Phillip Dixon
Praise for Teether & Kuya Neil
“A powder keg of bangers primed to shake the rat race to its core”
Guardian Australia (Best of 2023)
“Undeniably charismatic.”
NME (Best of 2023)
“two of the country’s most forward-thinking artists”
Acclaim Magazine
“Simultaneously chaotic and precise, no matter whether the palette is fierce rap, punk energy, slinking beats, or whatever else.”
Rolling Stone AU/NZ (Best of 2023)
London/Melbourne rap duo Teether & Kuya Neil today announce their highly-awaited debut album, YEARN IV, due out on May 2nd via Chapter Music. With this news comes their defiant new single and video, ‘ZOO’, which is out now.
Marking the duo’s first offering since 2023 mixtape STRESSOR, YEARN IV captures the brooding and vivid world of two musical outsiders, finding their voice amid a sea of clashing cultural experiences and sonic histories. Recorded in Melbourne and completed in London (where Teether is now based), the project modulates hyper-local influences into a distinctive global rap sound, with echoes of the early internet the pair were raised on. The album features appearances from Nerdie of Sydney K-Rap rising stars 1300, Wergaia/Wemba Wemba vocalist Alice Skye and Naarm producer Stoneset.
As the first preview of the album, lead single ‘ZOO’ plays with the silent throes of alienation and displacement within the broader cultural landscape, depicting a stark parallel with prey vs. predator power dynamics over a paranoid trap instrumental. Speaking on the song, they share, “It’s wild that each day, in whatever city you find yourself, there’s millions of people waking up and doing whatever they deem most important, all at once. It’s going to be chaos. We're animals running wild, acting like it all makes sense. ZOO is a song we made one day where this idea felt extra strange.”
Watch the music video for ‘ZOO’ below
There is no cadence like Teether’s to be found in Australia, and the immersive storytelling of his delivery filters through Neil’s unorthodox, hyper-modern production to converge as a singular force, each emerging as vanguards of the Naarm/Melbourne underground scene in their own right. Releasing their first mixtape GLYPH via Chapter Music in 2021, the duo saw global radio support across triple j, NTS, Dublab, fbi.radio, Triple R, Skylab and more, writeups via NME, Brooklyn Vegan, Acclaim, Tone Deaf, Beat Magazine, with four songs from the mixtape featuring in the iconic Australian Netflix series Heartbreak High the following year.
2023 follow-up STRESSOR charted in the Australian Independent Top 10, earned Feature Album placements across Triple R, fbi.radio, RTR FM and Edge Radio, and made it into end of year best of lists for Guardian Australia, Rolling Stone and NME, before receiving a nomination for Best Hip Hop Album at the 2024 AIR Awards.
As a solo artist, a member of Too Birds, and an in-demand collaborator, Teether has a deep dive catalogue of releases to his name. From working with New York rapper billy woods from Armand Hammer - who he supported in Australia in 2023 - to supporting Kim Gordon in Melbourne in 2024, he’s even featured on a single from metal band Dregg, released by the legendary Epitaph Records. Kuya Neil’s output is just as prolific: as the founder of Australian creative collective content.net.au, he’s produced tracks for the likes of Mirasia, BAYANG (tha Bushranger), Papaphilia, ZK King and more.
Renowned for their electric stage presence, the duo have performed at Bigsound, Melbourne Music Week, RISING, Meadow, Vivid Sydney, NGV Melbourne and Parramatta Lanes, supporting the likes of international peers MC Yallah & Debmaster and They Hate Change, as well as veteran alt-rap outfit Shabazz Palaces and Chicago Footwork pioneer RP Boo. Ahead of their upcoming performance at Golden Plains Festival this March, Teether & Kuya Neil have announced an exclusive sideshow at The Gasometer in Naarm/Melbourne on March 6 - all details below.
‘ZOO’ is out now, buy/stream it here.
Teether & Kuya Neil
YEARN IV
Out May 2nd, 2025 via Chapter Music
pre-save here
TEETHER & KUYA NEIL LIVE DATES
Thu Mar 6 - The Gasometer - Naarm / Melbourne* (Tickets here)
Sat Mar 8 - Golden Plains Festival - Meredith (Tickets here)
*Headline show, special guests TBA
Connect with Teether & Kuya Neil:
Teether: Instagram | Spotify | Soundcloud | Bandcamp
Kuya Neil: Instagram | Spotify | Soundcloud | Bandcamp
