Kokoroko drop long-awaited new album Tuff Times Never Last out now via Brownswood Recordings
PRAISE FOR Kokoroko
“It’s almost like these magical creatures from another dimension listened to jazz and said ‘we think we can do that’ … you can hear them venturing out into neo-soul, american funk, lovers rock… it’s so expansive, so diverse in sound, so diverse in ideas”
“A beauty that draws in a casual listener with a catchy, heartfelt harmony or memorable riff, but also provides a rich melange of inspirations for a trained ear, from afrobeat to jazz, soul, funk, and beyond”
“A vital example of not only jazz’s new form but the shape of things to come for British music”
“Kokoroko are harnessing the transformative nature of Afrobeat for a new generation”
TRACKLIST
1. Never Lost
2. Sweetie
3. Closer To Me
4. My Father in Heaven
5. Idea 5 (Call My Name) (feat. LULU)
6. Three Piece Suit (feat. Azekel)
7. Time and Time (feat. Demae)
8. Da Du Dah
9. Together We Are
10. Just Can’t Wait
Kokoroko Full Band Personnel
Sheila Maurice-Grey (co-bandleader / trumpet / flugelhorn / vocals)
Onome Edgeworth (co-bandleader / percussion)
Anoushka Nanguy ( trombone / vocals)
Tobi Adenaike (guitar / vocals)
Yohan Kebede (keyboards / synthesizers / vocals)
Duane Atherley (bass, vocals)
Ayo Salawu (drums, vocals)
Additional Personnel
Chelsea Carmichael (tenor saxophone / bass clarinet / flute)
Tuff Times Never Last LP is out now, buy/stream here.
London based jazz collective Kokoroko have released their long-awaited second studio album Tuff Times Never Last via Brownswood Recordings. LISTEN HERE.
Tuff Times Never Last is a body of work that holds space for the many dualities that occur in life. A testament to resilience, joy and the retainment of child-like innocence in the face of adverse circumstances. Aiming to signal an air of triumph, victory and celebration in its musicality, the new record sees the London band with careless abandon expand their wide-ranging palette and influences.
Three years on from the band’s debut album Could We Be More, much of the album sees the ensemble embracing a tone that’s more upbeat and party-orientated. Across the album’s 11 songs, Kokorokoventure in and around 80s Brit-funk, neo-soul, West African disco, bossa nova, lovers rock and funk.
Speaking on the bands’ decision to veer into a more up-tempo direction, co-bandleader Onome Edgeworth said: “We tour so much so you want it to be fun. When all your songs are so serious and intense, you miss out on enjoying yourself sometimes. We asked ourselves the question, “What do we want our next years to feel like?” And we wrote music with the intention of it having colour and a sense of playfulness.”
Coinciding with the album’s release, Kokoroko have unveiled ‘Da Duh Dah’ as the project’s latest single. A love song chronicling the fight to hold on to something special. Sonically the track is reminiscent of British soul bands Loose Ends and 52nd Street and like several tracks on the album takes cues from a more electronic space. While also bearing additional influence from The RH Factor and Donald Byrds’ ‘Places & Spaces’.
The arrival of Tuff Times Never Last comes on the heels of previously released singles ‘Sweetie’, ‘Closer To Me’ and ‘Just Can’t Wait’. All of the preceding singles cumulatively received rapturous critical praise and support from press and radio outlets such as The Guardian, Bandcamp Daily, Official Charts, Hypebeast, Mixmag, The Voice Newspaper, Pitchfork, PAPER Magazine, SPIN, The Fader, Essence, MOJO, UNCUT, NOTION and a plethora of others.
To coincide with the release of Tuff Times Never Last, Kokoroko will be embarking on the biggest headline show of their career when they play London’s O2 Academy Brixton on September 25th.
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