MR JUKES and BARNEY ARTIST release new single 'Poems' from forthcoming sophomore album 'The Locket'
Mr Jukes & Barney Artist are excited to release their new single “Poems” - stream here. The pair have also filmed a live performance of the track with Tom Misch - watch here. Jukes and Barney’s joint album “The Locket” is released this Friday 6th August - pre-order here. Following the album release, Jukes and Barney will tour the UK for a series of in-stores - tickets available here.
“Poems” showcases Barney Artist’s exemplary storytelling, as he lets the listener in on a tale of awkward chirpsing, all self-deprecating wit and charming relatability. “Jack sent me the beat for ‘Poems’ on a late Tuesday night. Immediately I got the chorus stuck in my head and the verses followed as it reminded me of a girl in secondary school that liked me for my lyrics and not my looks,” he explains. Jack adds: “Definitely a J Dilla / A Tribe Called Quest-inspired beat and one for a warm summer evening. This was the first song that Barney got me to sing on properly - our first duet.”
The Locket features ten tracks cut from sessions that span over eighteen months. It’s sunshine-dappled, psych-tinged, hip-hop flavoured, leftfield pop. Beats, bars and a unique sort of retro futurism that zips from sepia-tinged to full technicolour almost as fast as Barney’s flow. Its title track refers to memories of happier times: “we fill a locket with memories we protect, and don’t forget to keep it round your neck.” It’s a reminder to focus on positivity in the face of adversity. A collaborative project designed to be enjoyed together. A celebration of music, unity and looking ahead. “The aim is to bring hope to people after the maddest year,” Barney says. It couldn’t have come at a better time.
During a period of prolonged inactivity, Jack Steadman scratched an itch to do something new. He went by the moniker of Mr Jukes and released an album, God First, in 2017. We say ‘by himself’ but it was very much an open-door policy, resulting in a collaborative record that brought contributions by legends such as Charles Bradley, De La Soul, Horace Andy, Lianne La Havas, BJ The Chicago Kid and Lalah Hathaway. The project also features a contribution from Barney Artist, who Jack had quite simply stumbled upon on a Spotify playlist and never forgotten.
Barney’s music takes the vibrance of jazz infused hip hop but with a London feel. Growing up in Forest Gate, East London, Barney touches on conscious themes by way of lively, dynamic delivery to create something instantly likeable, like the artist. He’s a larger than life presence, fun to be around and a searing, peerless talent too. A collaborator by nature, Barney grew up around Tiana Major9 and Jay Prince and has made music with Tom Misch, Alfa Mist and Jordan Rakei.
Barney’s contribution to God First, “From Golden Stars Comes Silver Dew” (also featuring Lalah Hathaway) proved to be a standout. Bonded by a mutual love of the ever-changing landscape of modern hip-hop, the two artists instantly fell into step with one another. There was no clear plan or brief to fulfil for a full-length Jukes X Barney project, but both artists instinctively knew that it would be a waste not to explore the potential they’d uncovered. They were right, clearly.
“The Locket” will be released on 6th August, including the below tracks. Pre-order here.
The Locket
Blowin Steam (Open Up Your Mind)
Poems
Déjà Vu
Vibrate
Autumn Leaves (feat. Lex Amor)
All For You
Check The Pulse (feat. Kofi Stone)
Leaving Us In Light
Gratitude
Mr Jukes and Barney Artist will play the below live dates. Tickets available here.
7 August Vinilo The Loft, Southampton
9 August Rough Trade Nottingham
10 August Rough Trade Bristol
11 August Rough Trade East, London
12 August Music’s Not Dead, Bexhill
24 August Banquet Records, PRYZM Kingston
21 November Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
22 November Manchester, Gorilla
23 November Brighton, Chalk
28 November Bristol, Thekla
29 November London, Scala