{"id":14886,"date":"2025-04-10T18:28:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T18:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/hiphopmagizine\/kokoroko-sweetie-new-music-from-kokoroko\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T18:28:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T18:28:40","slug":"kokoroko-sweetie-new-music-from-kokoroko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/hiphopmagizine\/kokoroko-sweetie-new-music-from-kokoroko\/","title":{"rendered":"Kokoroko \u2013 Sweetie &#8211; New music from Kokoroko"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt Hip Hop Magizine News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9431463036\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Kokoroko, the London-based contemporary jazz collective, announces the release of their forthcoming second studio album Tuff Times Never Last. The announcement is accompanied by their lead single \u201cSweetie,\u201d a first taste of the new record that bridges the gap between where the band has been and where they\u2019re going. A tribute to the playful bond between lovers, \u201cSweetie\u201d is a horn-led and wonky-sounding tune saluting West African disco. It expands upon the band exploring more electronic sounds and toying with obscure drum notes and synth sounds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><iframe title=\"Kokoroko - Sweetie - Visualiser\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VDrS1qrHllE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"Kokoroko - Sweetie - Visualiser\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VDrS1qrHllE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Set for release on July 11th via Brownswood Recordings, Tuff Times Never Last is a spirited and vibrant collection of songs serving as an optimistic reminder to tightly hold and embrace the many dualities that occur in life. Over the course of the 11 songs, the album explores togetherness, community, sensuality, childhood, loss, and above all, perseverance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The accompanying artwork was painted by Luci Pina, the acclaimed illustrator whose work has been sought and commissioned by the likes of The Cut, Soho House, DICE, Apple Music and It\u2019s Nice That. Embedded within the image is Kokoroko\u2019s ode to London in the summer. Speaking on its design, co-bandleader Sheila Maurice-Grey said: \u201cThe remit was summer in London, family and sense of everyone being in a congregation-like audience, and us being the musicians\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The artwork\u2019s imagery and color was inspired by feelings of innocence and nostalgia \u2013 coming of age in London and those rare summer nights where everything felt full of hope. The cityscape also pays homage to Spike Lee\u2019s 1994 film Crooklyn and films like Rick Famuyiwa\u2019s 1999 opus The Wood. The band saw these movies as heartwarming representations of black family, community and resilience that served as a balm for them as Londoners. Speaking further on this, co-bandleader Onome Edgeworth said: \u201c\u2018Crooklyn\u2019 is very emotional, but also very uplifting. It felt like how I grew up. This album is us sharing our own feelings, hopes and dreams. We didn\u2019t always have those stories in the UK\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">While the afrobeat jazz of their previous work is still a core part of the record\u2019s sonic design, the new album largely pulls from British R&amp;B from the 80s, neo-soul, West African disco, bossa nova, lovers rock and funk. Sonically taking cues from the likes of Loose Ends, Don Blackman, Common, Sly &amp; Robbie, William Onyeabor, Patrice Rushen, Ofori Amponsah and Cymande. Throughout this instinctive evolution, the septet\u2019s seasoned musicianship preserves the essence of who Kokoroko are as masterful jazz artisans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Speaking on the band\u2019s progression in sound, co-bandleader Sheila Maurice-Grey said: \u201cInnately, we\u2019re jazz musicians but we\u2019ve tried not to kind of box ourselves into one sound. So there is a level of freedom we\u2019re starting to feel. We want to continue being as creative as possible without feeling any boundaries\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u201cSweetie\u201d marks Kokoroko\u2019s first dose of new music since their <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/rapindustry.com\/kokoroko-get-the-message-ep\/\"><strong>EP Get The Message<\/strong><\/a><\/span>. Released last November, the project spawned \u201cThree Piece Suit\u201d featuring Azekel \u2013 their honouring of Nigerian elders contemplating home, lineage and ancestry in 1960s London.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt Hip Hop Magizine News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"9431463036\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kokoroko, the London-based contemporary jazz collective, announces the release of their forthcoming second studio album Tuff Times Never Last. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14886","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kokoroko \u2013 Sweetie - New music from Kokoroko - Hip Hop News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/hiphopmagizine\/kokoroko-sweetie-new-music-from-kokoroko\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kokoroko \u2013 Sweetie - New music from Kokoroko - Hip Hop News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kokoroko, the London-based contemporary jazz collective, announces the release of their forthcoming second studio album Tuff Times Never Last. 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