Bleep

Plenty of bands claim to transcend genre, but very few do it with the seemingly effortless grace and style of Kokoroko. The London-based 8 piece is ostensibly an Afrobeat group, but they fold in enough soul, jazz, psych rock, funk and gospel to defy classification. For all that experimentation, the band’s sonic calling card is its intimacy. What they do best is play things slow and even-keeled, what some would consider antithetical to the fast paced London jazz scene. In fact what was most noticeable from Kokoroko’s 2018 debut self-titled EP was the rock steady single ‘Abussey Junction’, a restrained afrobeat tune that was later featured on Brownswood's We Out Here compilation. The success of ‘Junction’ led to some hyped sets at European festivals like Glastonbury, Meltdown, and Elbjazz, proving they bring the goods live as well. After a brief respite Kokoroko are back with their long-awaited debut LP Could We Be More. A thrilling collection that distills their unique blend of sounds into a razor sharp statement of purpose. Best of all is ‘We Give Thanks’, a track that splits the difference between calypso and disco while acknowledging their place within the continuum of music history. An absolute triumph for a band that’s clearly just getting going.