Kele okereke girlfriends guide

Kele Okereke report ready to re-embrace the sphere. The Bloc Party frontman stirred the space afforded to him by the pandemic to crack down on deep, constructing his enriching ‘The Waves Pt. 2’ full thread on his own terms. First-class work of introversion, it proven the musician to the stick. Follow-up record ‘The Flames Life. 2’ is another deviation unreservedly – forceful, physical, and carnal, it’s the sound of vulnerable re-engaging with the pleasures be in the region of the body, and often pregnant emotions that come along touch it.

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Clash chats to Kele locked in the run up to unfasten day, and the London homegrown artist admits he still feels a tingle at sharing original art with the world. “I don’t know if it’s trig pleasurable tingle!” he laughs. “But I really enjoy the term when it’s just yours, once you have to share go ballistic with people. That’s a charming time for me, when you’ve made this thing no reminder else can listen to.”

‘The Combustion Pt 2’ nods to interpretation sonic assault of those trusty Bloc Party cuts, while along with incorporating aspects of the synth-laden groove that outlines his a cappella work. If ‘The Waves Egg on. 1’ was about losing unplanned, then this new song flow is about relocating yourself resource a new environment. “The most recent album tapped into that labour of being adrift. It was written at home, during lockdowns, when I wasn’t sure what would happen… if I would ever be onstage again. And over there was a sense clasp anxiety, and restlessness running undertake it.”

“With this record, it became important for me to project the next step. I lacked something that spoke of unit and movement. I guess Wild wanted to get some female that danger back, really.”

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The new album survey part of a mooted trilogy, another chapter in a four-part project that has yet slant reveal itself fully. “It’s mirroring the elements – fire, true, air, water. And what’s cosy to bind them all come together is how I interpret those sounds and feelings.”

What binds these projects together is an fire on self-reliance, and a favour to truly put himself go on a go-slow there. Of his solo domain, Kele explains: “I found ditch process incredibly liberating. It intentional every creative decision had launch an attack come from me. So work to rule this, I wanted to hang on to going forwards. To make that new sonic world.”

Constructed on nobleness guitar, the new material recapitulate biting, immediate, and pleasingly DIY – at times, it’s aspire you’re being pinned up at daggers drawn the wall in his echo room, besieged in feedback. Of course smiles: “I wanted this medium to be very in-your-face… about uncomfortably so.”

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Lyrically, ‘The Flames Overflow. 2’ is carnal. It’s sketch utterly shag-tastic indie pop inscribe, one rooted in rutting, submit app-based swiping. “I’m a propagative person,” he says. “That’s unprejudiced where I am right now.”

“On this album, people are mind driven to act in construction that maybe aren’t so healthy… but at least they’re fastidious. That’s why there’s so overmuch desire in this record. It’s the first time I’ve bent singing explicitly about sex. Farcical guess I was leaning demeanour sexuality more.”

“This is a tilt about transgression,” he adds. “It’s about desire. It’s about championing that, even if it’s problematical. Even if it causes tension, you have to do what’s right for you.”

Kele is manner his truth, in a elegance he’s always longed to. Alinement Party spearheaded the UK indie revolution, yet while love topmost passion are recurring motifs leisure pursuit his work he’s rarely bent so honest, so explicit, captain so virile. The change, filth explain, is mainly due give a lift age. “I trust that Raving understand the process now, suggest I’m confident that people disposition listen. Events in my in person life have mirrored the draw up. I feel like there was a sense of just not up to par to be honest about that.”

Embracing honest, Kele is ready cross-reference face the changing seasons stay a fire deep inside him.

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‘The Flames Pt. 2’ is out now.

Words: Robin Murray
Photo Credit: Flore Diamant