Empire of the Sun launch new album

Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore return with Empire of the Sun's long awaited second album Ice On The Dune. Source: Supplied

THE eccentric Australian electronic duo Empire Of The Sun have reunited for their long-awaited second album Ice On The Dune.

Empire of the Sun's 2008 debut record Walking On A Dream was championed by everyone from Jay-Z to Usher and helped to usher in the rise of electronic music worldwide, selling more than one million copies.

Video to song Walking On A Dream

While "Emperor'' Luke Steele and "Lord'' Nick Littlemore conducted much of their post-debut conversations via the media, the pair regrouped 18 months ago with their original collaborators, PNAU's Peter Mayes and Jono Sloan in New York.

The new record will be launched globally today at 9am (AEDT) by a "trailer'' filmed by the production company run by Hollywood heavyweight and new Stars Wars director JJ Abrams.

The American director and fan of the Australian musicians, invited Empire Of The Sun to hang out at his Los Angeles creative hub, resulting in his Bad Robot team creating the Raiders Of The Lost Ark-inspired trailer called Discovery.

"JJ is looking at working with various artists and it was amazing working with those guys to develop the back story and future story of the Empire - it's pretty exciting,'' Steele said.

The LA-based musician who plans to return to Australia to launch the record said he and Littlemore felt enormous pressure to match the success of Walking On A Dream.

"In the end what has driven us is the same as the first record which is music that makes people feel excited and want to get up in the morning,'' Steele said.

"But oh yeah, we felt the pressure. I had never experienced fame before, and I don't think in Australia, people realised how many places this record travelled.''

Littlemore will remain studio-based with Empire Of The Sun with Steele creating the live show to take Ice On The Dune around the world.

He plans to head home to launch the record before its release in June.

Video to song Standing On the Shore

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