Superbly striking and stylish, eclectic third album by the Australian-Ghanaian artist Kofi Owusu-Ansah with punchy, political and social critique surge of hip-hop, punk, synth-pop, funk and dance music, he takes no prisoners with articulate anger at many ongoing subjects from billionaires to ignorance and racism. A progression from his previously acclaimed LPs 2021’s Smiling With No Teeth and 2023’s Struggler, it opens with the pulsating, rapid fire of the single Pirate Radio with a rebel yell of defiance and a potshot at the right-wing Musk: “Elon’s a fuckin’ weirdo / Who gave these incels moolah / Spit out your threats and slurs, kid, / I’ll show you something crueler, / I’ll show you something nasty, / Inward and deep reflection, / These polis closer to a graveyard than a fuckin’ pension.” Stampede is catchier, a punch-the-air electro-dance track, and the trio of singles comes in Death Cult Zombie, a post-punk indie banger taking aim at a common anti-immigrant racist ignorance: “I live here so why you following me Mr master race, but still no GED / Burning in the sun and looking British in the teeth / Big chomper, ah ah ah ah ah /Got your little taste Kinky little boy, want him to put you in your place / Watch the world burn with a smile on your face Fear in your flesh, you so scared to be replaced / Think you a future billionaire but your future’s being erased.” Beyond these, there are many entertaining moments, from the wriggly electronica dance single Life Keeps Going, which also has echoes of the brilliant Edinburgh innovators Young Fathers, who are surely a huge influence, the slow, deep funk of Hellstar, the dark thrumming indie pop of Falling Both Ways with Ladyhawke, the reggae-hip-hop social commentary of The Worldwide Scourge and the soulful Blessed Are The Meek, and the pacy, catchy Most Normal American Voter. The album becomes even more experimental across the latter third, but here the non-single highlight is Runnin Outta Time, which has echoes of a reverberant The Cure bass sound with a rapping pop bounce: “What I’m seeing is guts on the timeline, I’m just following mine / Joy as an act of resistance. Even when the party’s over,” as well as the wonderfully odd wordplay of Big Dog’s synth-pop rock: “I feel the fire, I’m burning the diesel, / Tableau in motion, the world is my easel, / I sew the seam through the eye of a needle, / You lookin dusty, you lookin medieval, / Tokyo love me like daisuki desu.” Hugely enjoyable release of rage and range, experiment and energy. Out on OURNESS.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new songs and albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: