Kokoroko announce their debut album ‘Could We Be More’
KOKOROKO
ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM
COULD WE BE MORE
DUE 5TH AUGUST 2022
VIA BROWNSWOOD RECORDINGS
SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘WE GIVE THANKS’SOLD OUT HEADLINE SHOW AT LONDON’S ELECTRIC BRIXTON ON APRIL 6TH
Today sees the phenomenal 8-piece band Kokoroko announce their long-awaited debut album Could We Be More, due for release on August 5th 2022 via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings. To celebrate the announcement, Kokoroko have shared a brand new track from the album called ‘We Give Thanks’. Listen to the track and pre-order the album HERE.
Could We Be More is an expansive and ambitious album that speaks to the force of Kokoroko. Each song possesses the power to evoke memories and harness the feeling of home through music: from the psychedelic, funk-laden previous single ‘Something’s Going On’ to the congregational energy of today’s track ‘We Give Thanks’, Could We Be More fuses together the African-London synergy which so naturally underpins the heat of Kokoroko’s identity. Inspired by the West-African and Caribbean music some of the band members grew up listening to in church and the sense of homecoming that came along with it, Kokoroko wrote the album trying to emulate that feeling of sentimentality to spark joy for the listener.
Introducing ‘We Give Thanks’ today, Kokoroko explain: “We were imagining playing live with this one – it’s definitely written with that energy we get towards the end of a set. Some shows, like La Cigalle in Paris or Paradiso in Dam have legit felt magical for us & you always want to give that energy back. This is us trying to do that.”
Kokoroko have come to represent all that is blissfully sweet about afrobeat and improvised music in London – an echo of the past that has taken on new forms while still sounding new and entirely original. Led by Sheila Maurice-Grey and Onome Edgeworth, the band are a vibrant example of the shape of things to come for British music: having released just 7 tracks (1x EP and 3x singles) in their short career, they have quickly developed a huge cult following with 60Million+ Spotify streams to their name and a classic record already under their belt in 2018’s intimate viral masterpiece ‘Abusey Junction’.
As they announce their similarly immersive debut album, Kokoroko’s return feels particularly poignant. The collective are already winners of ‘Best Group’ at the Urban Music Awards 2020 and the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2021, have been lauded in the NPR Austin 100 list, been crowned One To Watch by The Guardian, played across the globe at the likes of Glastonbury, Meltdown Festival, Elbjazz, Jazz a la Villette, Eden Festival, We Out Here, SIM São Paulo and BBC6 Music Festival (to name a few), performed a raucous session for Boiler room and made their BBC Proms debut in the Royal Albert Hall; all up front of their debut record, which is as spiritual, progressive and musically versatile as you would expect from the eight different personalities within Kokoroko.
With equal support across BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, Jazz FM, CLASH, Crack, The Observer, Evening Standard, Mixmag, Trench, gal-dem, Loud & Quiet, Rolling Stone, NATAAL + many more – what Kokoroko have achieved in the past four years is nothing short of remarkable. Catch them whilst you can on the road in April (tickets HERE) and enjoy ‘We Give Thanks’ in all its glory.
Musicians
Sheila Maurice-Grey – Trumpet, VocalsCassie Kinoshi – Alto Sax, VocalsRichie Seivwright – Trombone, VocalsOnome Edgeworth – PercussionAyo Salawu – DrumsTobi Adenaike-Johnson – GuitarYohan Kebede – Synthesizers, KeyboardsDuane Atherley – Bass, Synthesizers, Keyboards
‘We Could Be More’ Tracklist
1. Tojo
2. Blue Robe I
3. Ewa Inu
4. Age of Ascent
5. Dide O
6. Soul Searching
7. We Give Thanks
8. Those Good Times
9. Reprise
10. Home11. War Dance
12. Could We Be More
13. Something’s Going On
14. Outro15. Blue Robe II
Kokoroko – Something’s Going On Tour 20222
5th March The Foundry, Sheffield
26th March Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
30th March O2 Ritz, Manchester
31st March Riverside, Newcastle1st
April The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
3rd April Motion, Bristol4th April Concorde 2, Bristo
l6th April Electric Brixton, London7th
April Engine Rooms, Southampto
n8th April Sub89, Reading