Hot on the heels of his stunning collaboration with Bonobo–”Shadows”–on his Ninja Tune labelmate’s new album “Fragments”, Jordan Rakei is kicking off 2022 with the release of new single “Bruises“, taken from a 4-track digital EP of the same name which is set for release Friday March 4th.
Recalling Jordan’s musical roots and in particular his love of Bob Marley, “Bruises” trips out of the speakers with an overtly reggae-ish swagger. “I wanted to explore my musical roots of reggae music on ‘Bruises’, but put a slightly alternative spin on it,” explains Jordan. “I wrote the string parts and took them to Amika Quartet. We spent a whole day coming up with different ideas for different sections of the song, and I’m really happy with how it all turned out. I had a lot of fun making this track as it takes me back to my earlier days of making music.”
Watch Jordan also perform an acoustic, solo guitar version of “Bruises” here.
EP opener “Defection” is set to be a new fan favourite, co-written by Jordan with Oli Rockberger. “It’s a narrative of finding love and recognising its power in dissolving any other types of issues,” says Jordan. “We wrote it a few years ago, back in 2018, and now glad it finally has a place in the world!”.
Also featured are “Lightning”–written by Jordan’s old friend Georgia Potter (aka Moreton) and blessed with the same sultry electronic production that characterised Rakei’s 2021 album ‘What We Call Life’–and a beautiful alternate take on “The Flood” recorded at the BBC’s iconic Maida Vale recording studios. “I love reinterpreting my own songs into different versions to suit different live settings or moods,” he says. “I wanted to strip everything back and make this one about the tension and release, rather than overplaying/production.”
Jordan is the lead support on Bonobo’s forthcoming North American tour through February and March before returning to Europe for his biggest headline shows to date in Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Belgium, France and the UK finishing up at O2 Academy Brixton in London on April 26th.
The immensely talented vocalist, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist released his fifth studio album ‘What We Call Life’ in September 2021 to a flood of plaudits from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Popmatters, Wordplay Magazine: “essential modern listening”, “understated yet captivating style”, “destined to be a classic”, “a masterpiece”. The record was #1 in the “Official Record Store Chart Top 40”, #2 in the “Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart Top 40” and #5 in the “Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40”. Playlisted and in heavy rotation at BBC 6M and Jazz FM, Jordan played his first live shows in 18 months at Cross The Tracks, Repercussions and All Points East (guesting with Loyle Carner), did a whirlwind sold-out UK instore tour and a series of incredible live sessions at the legendary BBC Maida Vale studios for Mary Anne Hobbs (BBC 6M) and Jo Whiley (BBC R2), Worldwide FM x Paul Smith, Mahogany and is currently hosting the new series of Tearjerker on BBC Sounds.
Bruises EP is released on Friday March 4th via Ninja Tune.
What We Call Life Tour – North America (supporting Bonobo):
Feb 18: Wildhorse Saloon, Nashville, TN
Feb 19: PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation, Newport, KY
Feb 20: KEMBA LIVE!, Columbus, OH
Feb 21: Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 25: Great Hall, Brooklyn, NY
Feb 27: Royale, Boston, MA
Feb 28: Echostage, Washington, DC
Mar 02: Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA
Mar 05: Higher Ground, Burlington, VT
Mar 06: Mtelus, Montreal, QC
Mar 09: History, Toronto, ON
Mar 10: Royal Oak Music Hall, Royal Oak, MI
Mar 11: Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
Mar 12: The Sylvee, Madison, WI
Mar 13: Turner Hall, Milwaukee, WI
Mar 15: The Palace, Minneapolis, MN
Mar 17: Mission Ballroom, Denver, CO
Mar 18: The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT
Mar 19: Knitting Factory, Boise, ID
Mar 21: PNE Forum, Vancouver, BC
Mar 22: Showbox SoDo, Seattle, WA
Mar 24: Roseland Theater, Portland, OR