L.A.B.
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L.A.B. is a New Zealand reggae band formed in Whakatāne, Bay of Plenty in 2016. Its founding members are Brad Kora (backing vocals and drums) and Stuart Kora (backing vocals, keyboard and guitar) of the band Kora. They soon engaged Joel Shadbolt on lead vocals and guitar, Ara Adams-Tamatea, formerly of Katchafire, as bassist, and Miharo Gregory as keyboardist. The band mostly composes reggae music, with a mix of electronic, blues, rock and funk music.
Their song "In the Air" topped the New Zealand Singles Chart in March 2020. At the end of the year, it was ranked as New Zealand's best-performing single of 2020. It stayed in the top 10 for 73 weeks, longer than any other single, and at 9× platinum is New Zealand's all-time best-selling single. "Why Oh Why" also topped the New Zealand chart in December 2020. By mid-2021, "Why Oh Why" had gained popularity at Island Reggae radio stations across Hawaii.
In July 2020, the band announced their first summer show date for January 2021 with The Black Seeds, Mako Road, Bailey Wiley and Anna Coddington in support.
L.A.B. III and L.A.B. IV were finalists in the 2020 and 2021 Taite Music Prize respectively.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | AUS | |||
| L.A.B. | Released: 24 November 2017 Label: Loop Recordings Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 8 | — | RMNZ: 3× Platinum |
| L.A.B. II | Released: 21 December 2018 Label: Loop Recordings Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 12 | — | RMNZ: Platinum |
| L.A.B. III | Released: 6 December 2019 Label: Loop Recordings Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 5 | — | RMNZ: 5× Platinum |
| L.A.B. IV | Released: 18 December 2020 Label: Loop Recordings Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 1 | 49 | RMNZ: 3× Platinum |
| L.A.B. V | Released: 17 December 2021 Label: Loop Recordings Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 1 | — | RMNZ: Platinum |
| L.A.B. VI | Released: 23 February 2024 Label: Loop Recordings | 1 | — | RMNZ: Gold |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that region |
Compilation albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| Introducing L.A.B. | Released: 13 October 2023 Label: Loop Recordings Formats: LP, digital download, streaming | 1 | RMNZ: Platinum |
Remix albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| NZ | ||
| L.A.B in Dub (with Paolo Baldini DubFiles) | Released: 21 October 2022 Label: Loop Recordings Formats: Digital download, streaming | 25 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | ||||
| "Jimmy Boy" | 2017 | — | RMNZ: Platinum | L.A.B. |
| "Starry Eyes" | — | RMNZ: Platinum | ||
| "Ain't No Use" | — | RMNZ: 2× Platinum | ||
| "Umulash" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "Controller" | 2018 | 3 | RMNZ: 10× Platinum | |
| "Midnight Summer" | — | RMNZ: Gold | L.A.B. II | |
| "Free Fall in a Dream" | — | |||
| "Baby Will You Let Me" | 2019 | — | RMNZ: Platinum | |
| "Personify" | — | RMNZ: Platinum | L.A.B. III | |
| "In the Air" | 1 | ARIA: Gold RMNZ: 13× Platinum | ||
| "My Brother" | 2020 | 35 | RMNZ: Platinum | L.A.B. IV |
| "Why Oh Why" | 1 | RMNZ: 6× Platinum | ||
| "Yes I Do" | 2021 | 13 | RMNZ: 3× Platinum | |
| "Mr Reggae" | 3 | RMNZ: 4× Platinum | L.A.B. V | |
| "Under the Sun" | 12 | RMNZ: 2× Platinum | ||
| "Real Ones" (with Kings) | 2022 | — | ||
| "Take It Away" | 13 | RMNZ: 2× Platinum | L.A.B. VI | |
| "Casanova" | 2023 | 30 | RMNZ: 2× Platinum | |
| "Oh No (Pt. 2)" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "Ocean Demon" | 2024 | — | ||
| "Follow" | — | TBA | ||
| "We Belong" (with Corrella) | 2025 | — | Te Matatini 2025 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that region |
Other charted and certified songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | ||||
| "Love Will Save Me" | 2017 | — | RMNZ: Gold | L.A.B. |
| "Oh No" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "She's Gone" | — | RMNZ: Platinum | ||
| "Rocketship" | 2018 | — | RMNZ: 3× Platinum | L.A.B. II |
| "Fashion Dread" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "Hands Up" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "I Don't Wanna Know" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "For the Love of Jane" | 2019 | — | RMNZ: 3× Platinum | L.A.B. III |
| "Shadows" | — | RMNZ: 2× Platinum | ||
| "Running" | — | RMNZ: Platinum | ||
| "Shoot on You" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "Alright" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "What the Hell" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "Natural" | 2020 | 5 | RMNZ: 2× Platinum | L.A.B. IV |
| "No Roots" | 6 | RMNZ: Platinum | ||
| "Boy King" | — | |||
| "My Baby" | — | RMNZ: Gold | ||
| "Can You Be the One" | 2021 | — | RMNZ: Gold | L.A.B. V |
| "Oh Honey" | — | |||
| "Give Me That Feeling" | 2024 | — | L.A.B. VI | |
| "Follow" | — | |||
| "Crazy Dream" | — | |||
| "Mr Rave Rider" | — | |||
| "—" a recording single that did not chart or was not released in that region |