“Their MO is groove rooted electronica – a blend of tribal beats, slapped palms and a heavy dose of soul.” – Noisey
“One of the most intriguing acts from the past couple of years” – NME
“A smorgasbord of influences, shuffling between all out electronica and delta blues, hip hop and blissful modern soul.” – CLASH
This autumn sees the release of the highly anticipated debut album, ‘Kara’, from We Are Shining on the 27th October. The record, already resonating throughout the underground is currently Rough Trade’s ‘Album Of The Month’.
Morgan and Acyde - the two men behind We Are Shining - have been gaining momentum over the last year following the release of their critically acclaimed mixtape, ‘Devileye’ which showcased their unique genre-blending sounds and earmarked the band as one of the most exciting new production duos of late.
‘Kara’ is a swirling whirlwind of bucking guitar riffs, ferocious grooves and fragmented, soulful hollering; it veers between rock, blues, gospel and whatever else gets sucked in along the way. Each track is densely packed with ideas, flitting between the hypnotically dirty guitar riff underpinning 'Moment' to the towering tour de force that is lead single 'Hot Love' driven by Acyde's untethered voice, half chant and half exhortation. ‘Kara’ is frantic, though it's organised chaos.
We Are Shining worked collaboratively alongside a variety of notable contributors, welcoming friends into the studio to jam along to their distinctive beats and rhythms whilst Acyde provides the only male voice on the record. Rose Gabor's passionate, raw turn on the swampy blues of 'Stagedive' to Eska's gospel climax that takes 'Hot Love' to another level. Meanwhile, the album's opener'Road' finds The Noisette’s Shingai and Acyde playing off each other to tremendous effect.
With a vast swathe of influences from Can to turn-of-the-century Neptunes, to the strange, beguiling rabbithole of global music the pair found in their collections, ‘Kara’ is an album that doesn’t follow any trend or scene but simply reflects where the tastes of Zarate and Acyde meet: hold on tight, because it's a wild ride.
Tracklisting
- Road
- Hot Love
- Stagedive
- Hey You
- Wasted Times
- Breaks
- Thru The Dark
- KA
- In A Moment
- Whirlwind
- Wheel
Music Videos