Young Fathers – Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and G. Hastings – have released their fourth album, and their first since 2018’s Cocoa Sugar. New album Heavy Heavy signals a renewed back-to-basics approach, just the three of them in their basement studio, some equipment and microphones: everything always plugged in, everything always within reach. The 10-track project brims with what fans have come to love from a group known for their multi-genre versatility – kinetic rhythms, controlled chaos and unbridled soul.
Speaking about the album title, the band say, “Heavy Heavy could be a mood, or it could describe the smoothed granite of bass that supports the sound… or it could be a nod to the natural progression of boys to grown men and the inevitable toll of living, a joyous burden, relationships, family, the natural momentum of a group that has been around long enough to witness massive changes.”
“You let the demons out and deal with it,” reckons Kayus of the album. “Make sense of it after.”
For Young Fathers, there’s no dress code required. Dancing, not moshing. Hips jerking, feet slipping, brain firing in Catherine Wheel sparks of joy and empathy. Underground but never dark. Still young, after some years, even as the heavy, heavy weight of the world seems to grow day by day.
Release: February 3, 2023, Ninja Tune/Inertia