Kokoroko Get The Message

1 NOV 2024: Kokoroko, the London-based band, have released their brand new EP ‘Get The Message’. Conceptualized as a project to hold fans over until their forthcoming second studio album due next year, ‘Get The Message’ is a 4-track opus that positions the band in a more introspective and meditative space. Eschewing the brassy and exuberant sound of their previous work, the new EP notably beholds more of a minimalist slant. Gentler in mood, ‘Get The Message’ finds the band experimenting with new sonic territories via modes of psychedelic soul, Afro-rock, dub and funk. Sonically taking cues from the likes of Solange, Blood Orange, Sun Ra, Cymande and the 1970s Nigerian psych-rock band Ofege. Remarking on the band’s musical growth and evolution the last few years, Onome Edgeworth, the band’s percussionist said: “Our tastes are richer and more developed. We’re now creating from a completely different viewpoint and it's been quite freeing” Created under the guise of functioning as an intentional vessel for joy, the heart of ‘Get The Message’ is concerned about the need for community, connection and relationships of all forms. Speaking further on the humanizing motivations behind the EP which was largely borne from its opening track ‘Higher’, the band’s co-founder and trumpeter, Sheila Maurice-Grey said: “That song is a mantra. With the repeated lyrics, we were setting the intention and the tone of what we wanted to do with the EP which is to be a balm for people. Being a voice of hope, comfort in a time where the world isn’t always promoting positive energy, unity and togetherness”. The arrival of ‘Get The Message’ comes on the heels of its previously released lead single ‘Three Piece Suit’ featuring Azekel. Inspired by a conversation between Onome Edgeworth and Azekel about their grandfathers who both landed in Balham from Nigeria in the 1960s, palpable throughout are spiritual echoes resonating with ideas of home, lineage and ancestry. Upon its release, the track earned praise from Rolling Stone Africa, CLASH, DMY and Rough Trade. ‘Get The Message’ marks Kokoroko’s first project since the release of ‘Could We Be More Remixes’. The experimental and kaleidoscopic sister project to their 2022 debut album ‘Could We Be More’ which upon initial release earned critical plaudits from the likes of The Guardian, The Telegraph, Financial Times, Jazzwise, CRACK Magazine and Downbeat Magazine. The release would also garner their first Top 40 placement on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No.30. Enlisting some of contemporary music’s most forward-thinking artists like KeiyaA, Ash Lauryn, Stefan Ringer and Hagan to re-imagine the original album through a club-focused lens, ‘Could We Be More Remixes’ marked the beginning of the band being cast beyond spaces unrelated to the jazz sphere. A signal of their incoming next phase.