"Controller" is a song by New Zealand band

L.A.B. L.A.B. are 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 Shadbo ...

, released as a single from their debut album ''

'' in mid-2018. After the success of the band's song "

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" (2019), the song became a hit in New Zealand.

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. The song incorporates 1980s-style pop synths and percussion.

Release

The song was released as a single in July 2018, alongside the release of the song's music video, directed by Shae Sterling. The song became a hit in 2020 after the release of the band's single "

", becoming the 8th most successful single by a New Zealand artist in 2020. The song was compiled onto the band's 2023 album '' Introducing L.A.B.'', originally produced as a sampler for their debut European performances.

Critical reception

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

Credits and personnel

*A. Adams-Tamatea – bass *B. Kora – arrangement, drums, lyrics, producer, sampling, songwriting *S. Kora – synth *J. Shadbolt – vocals

Composition

Release

Critical reception

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References