Peking Duk Release Debut Album 'Paradise' After Label Split, Breakup Rumours
Peking Duk released their debut album Paradise on Friday, August 14 — a 14-song collection three years in the making, arriving on Virgin Music Group after the duo ended a lengthy run with Sony Music (Billboard).
Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles, the Canberra-born pair behind Peking Duk, signed a label-partnership deal with Virgin Music before making the record. The move closed a chapter with Sony and opened a new distribution path for the duo, whose 2014 single "High" featuring Nicole Millar peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Chart and won an ARIA Award for best dance release (Billboard).
Paradise pulls guests from across genres and continents. Killer Mike, Rico Nasty, Phantogram, Matt Corby, Kah-Lo, James McNally and Australian actor Jack Thompson all appear. One track, titled "Jack Thompson," features the actor's voice directly — an unusual choice for a dance album, and one the duo flagged in interviews ahead of release (Billboard). Apple Music's track listing confirms further titles including "Let Go" with Matt Corby, "Forever" with Phantogram, "Do Your Best" with Kah-Lo, "Thrills" with Rico Nasty, "Spicy Margarita," "Else" and "Can't Fit In" (Apple Music).
The album is copyrighted 2026 Peking Duk under exclusive license to Virgin Music Group, per Apple Music (Apple Music).
Peking Duk first announced Paradise on April 16 via their official Instagram, describing it as an exploration of "the everyday poetry of Australia" (Instagram). The rollout began earlier: in March, Rolling Stone Australia reported that the album announcement arrived alongside "Thrills," a single featuring US rapper Rico Nasty (Rolling Stone Australia). A music video for "Thrills" followed in May as the first in a planned series of clips tied to the album (Instagram).
The announcement also put to rest speculation about the duo's future. In March, Peking Duk publicly denied rumours that they were breaking up, tying the clarification directly to the album reveal (The Music).
For a duo that has spent over a decade releasing singles and EPs — building a career on streaming-era hits and festival sets across Australia — Paradise is their first full-length. The three-year gap since their last major release, the label change and the breakup rumours all give the album a weight beyond its 14 tracks. Whether it charts or not, it is a pivot point: a new label home, a clarified future, and the first time Peking Duk have made the case for themselves across a full record.
