dreampunk band dark smith make alienation anthemic on their debut ep ‘prehysteria’
Don’t burn the witch
Burn the village down
I don’t know about you all, but I’m really feeling this new EP from Seattle based queer dreampunk band Dark Smith. Thick with heavy atmosphere, anthemic vocals and massive drums, it’s like goth without the pretension and doom without the posturing. In short: it’s fucking huge.
“Lie To Me” is rich with sludgy low end and noisy guitars encroaching on drummer Nozomi’s giant beats, while singer Danny Denial screams out some of their best lyrics on the EP. “Leave You Alone Forever” boats the band’s lone song to drop below the 5 minute mark, delivering the kind of dark pop punk that The Damned once perfected before folding in on themselves. The EP closes with “Witch Marks” and “Prehysteria,” two pieces of the same puzzle that get all witchy about alienation and burn the whole village to the ground. Keep an ear on Dark Smith.
celebrate worldwide resistance with afropunk mixtape #40 feat. the fever 333, young fathers, dookoom, mélissa laveaux, and more
Resistance is nothing new. We’ve been resisting against white supremacist cis-hetero patriarchy since day one. On our latest Mixtape #40 “The People Resist”, we celebrate resistance worldwide, with artists representing the US, Haiti, South Africa, France, the UK, Germany, The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon. This is the sound of a resistance beyond hashtags and symbolic gestures. It is the sound of liberation.
Resistance is survival, not just a hashtag. But if it’s going to be a social media call to political arms, let’s make that fucker count!
‘The People Resist’ is our motto for this year’s AFROPUNK festivals. Paris, New York, ATL, get ready! afropunkfest.com
* Artwork photo by Dennis Manuel
01. Intro
02. THE FEVER 333 – Made An America
03. Shopping – Suddenly Gone
04. NoMBe – Can’t Catch Me
05. Interlude (The People)
06. Young Fathers – Turn
07. Pleasure Venom – Seize
08. KOKOKO! – Tsongos’a
09. Rhea Blek – Teenage Dreams
10. Interlude (The People)
11. Maramza – Uwrongu (ft. Bonj Mpasa)
12. 10LEC6 – Augusta (ft. Dvno)
13. Dookoom – Bloodclart
14. Bad Wolves – Zombie
15. Interlude (The People)
16. Mélissa Laveaux – Nan Fon Bwa
psychedelic funk singer nombe’s debut ‘they might’ve even loved me’ is an eclectic tribute to the women in his life
“I’m Oscar Wilde with with lights and chrome.”
NoMBe is not the sort of artist you can put in a box. Over 17 tracks, the singer-songwriter-producer skips from lo-fi folk to punk rock to Prince-inflected future-funk to chillwave and R&B. He credits They Might’ve Even Loved Me as a tribute to the women in his life (including his godmother, the immortal Chaka Khan), kicking off with the feminist anthem “Man Up.” As the record skips between genres and sounds, NoMBe’s skill with a hook (and some seriously sweet guitar tone) transcends his musical meandering, tying it all together in a way that could easily fall apart in another artist’s hands.
Highlights like the retro rocker “Can’t Catch Me” find NoMBe not just exploring a sound, but making it his own. While the nostalgic trip to a certain late night double feature picture show puts the spotlight on NoMBe’s guitar and voice for a truly heart-melting tribute to a highschool love. The glam-inflected “Signs” boasts one of the records strongest hooks, while “Bad Girls” is so ambitiously off-beat it’s hard not to love. Who knew the world needed some 60’s French pop by way of late 90’s God Lives Underwater with electrofunk vocals? They Might’ve Even Loved Me is electrifying and eclectic; one of those rare records that’s hard to categorize but couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else. Through the highs and lows of love, nostalgia, sex, and regret, NoMBe’s singular voice and effortless charm carries it. Stream it below on SoundCloud.
premiere: indie rocker mélissa laveaux explores her haitian roots on the unforgettable ‘radyo siwèl’
Raised in Canada by Haitian parents, Haiti has always been an important part of Mélissa Laveaux’s identity. The singer and guitarist returned to her roots in 2016 and became immersed in the history and folk music, exploring recordings, and notebooks of old songs. Radyo Siwél was born out of that need to reconnect with her history. The album interprets traditional Haitian songs through Laveaux’s diasporic lens, inspired in part by the experiences of Haitians during the US occupation from 1915 to 1934. As Laveaux explains:
“At heart, I think I am at my best when I share stories – Haitians got jokes for days. Radyo Siwèl is my interpretation of how the US military occupation of Haiti 1915-34 might have felt like, using mostly traditional Haitian songs. Some are from my childhood, some came to me after a great deal of reading and research, and some were compositions by songwriters who really fought back against the oppressive weight of the Occupation with the mocking humour, dry wit, and infectious melodies.”
The album’s highlights are often when Laveaux and her collaborators pull out the most unlikely threads from the songs, like the surf rock strains in “Kouzen” and the early 60’s Motown nods of “Tolalito.” But the comparatively lo-fi “LaSirèn LaBalèn” and the raw “Jolibwa” stick closer to a traditional interpretation of the songs for some of Radyo Siwél‘s most striking moments. It’s an album that’s born out of occupation, displacement, and homesickness that’s almost unbearably joyful and effortlessly fun. Mélissa Laveaux has created something totally unforgettable with Radyo Siwél. Stream it below, and check out her web series exploring how it all came together on Youtube.
feel the exhilaration of noise hip-hop trio young fathers’ new album ‘cocoa sugar’
Since dropping the genre-defying Tape One in 2011, each new release from Young Fathers has pushed their sound into new uncharted territories. The Edinburgh trio can’t stand to sound like anyone else (especially not themselves) and their latest, Cocoa Sugar, is definitely unlike anything else you’ll hear today. Hip-hop beats collide with detuned synths and bursts of noise. Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole, and G Hastings jump between sung lines, chanted hooks, shout-alongs, and rapped verses sometimes on a single line. Cocoa Sugar is an exhilerating kind of chaos, where anything can happen, and usually does.
Though the album takes meandering turns through every sonic experiment Young Fathers can think to take, that doesn’t mean it’s devoid of hooks. Lead single “In My View” shines on an album the band has defined as their most “linear.” Take one listen and you’ll spend a week trying to get it out of your head. Elsewhere their talent for kaledoscopic lyrics that reveal unexpected depths with repeated listens. Lines like “I didn’t work this damn hard to stay where I belong” and “Don’t you turn my bright eyes blue / I’m not like you” from “Turn” make for the kind of defiant anthem that Young Father hands in like it’s nothing. There’s a liberation in their sound and lyrics that’s undeniable. Their willingness to push ideas and sounds past their limits is what makes them one of the most exciting bands out there.
Cocoa Sugar is out now on Ninja Tune.
video premiere: congolese electro collective kokoko! changes the game with rebellious “tongos’a”
Gallons of sweat pour out over hypnotic beats, while jagged post-punk guitars cut through the wash of homemade percussion and traditional Mongo patterns. Bursting out of Kinshasa, KOKOKO! take DIY to new heights. Their latest single “Tongos’a” captures the collective’s rebellious sound with visuals that blend a thousand influences into one captivating piece. If you’re not sweating yourself by the end of it, you need to watch it again.
Directed by débruit, Markus Hofko, Renaud Barret
DOP: Renaud Barret
Edit and VFX: Markus Hofko
Stream it on Spotify here:
Photos by Renaud Barret
sade’s new song is here! her first track in 7 years
The wait is over, the legendary Sade’s new track has been revealed by producer No ID.
As we previously reported, the song, ‘Flower of the Universe’ was written for the soundtrack of Ava DuVernay’s latest movie, ‘A Wrinkle In Time’.
Stream the touching and smooth track below!
premiere: groove to chris dave and the drumhedz jazz-flavored goodness in the “dat feelin'” visual
A jubilent marriage of funk-n-soul, Chris Dave and the Drumhedz unleash their eclectic jazz-infused sound with their latest track, “Dat Feelin’”. A rhythmic dance between instrumentalists, “Dat Feelin’” is a frenetic throwback to big bands and jazz lounges, translated for the modern era into an ambient expression of bliss and feel goods. Led by drummer, composer, and bandleader Chris Dave, the band says,”‘Dat Feelin” is the Drumhedz audio reference of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins all combined.
Listen to ‘Dat Feelin’ yourself down below!
premiere: pop-rockers le vice pen infectious ode to the weedman in “always there”
A fun mixture of the 1980s and early 2000s electro-pop, Le VICE’s newest single “Always There” is an infectious girl rock anthem. Produced by Grammy-nominated producer Donnie Scantz, “Always There” plants a deep earworm in listener’s ears making it impossible to shake. Almost like an unattainable lover that you can’t stop thinking about but can’t seem to nab either. Intoxicating, playful, and addictive.
“Always There” sounds like it’s about a lover who’s always messing around on you, always unavailable, and never there when you need them but somehow you can’t seem to let them go. But then someone better comes around who is always there when you need them and ends up taking your old love’s place,” the band tells AFROPUNK.
But, plot twist! “When we wrote this song we were waiting for the dealer and thinking about how they never come on time. They say they’re on the way, but don’t show for hours. So you’re stuck with this guy who’s not that great but he’s all you got.” Too real.
“And then out of nowhere, this dream dealer comes along and he’s ALWAYS there when you need him. Day and Night, he’s got you. So you realize it’s time to move on from your old dealer to your new guy. So in a way, it’s about both of these things at the same time.”
syd joins rising star leven kali in sexy new single “do u wrong”
Santa Monica-based singer, songwriter and producer Leven Kali elicits the help of Syd for the irresistibly smooth “Do U Wrong”.