Mercury-Prize-winning Scottish band Young Fathers have earned a reputation for genre-bending, alternative compositions that challenge not just musical categorization but listeners perceptions about culture, race, and self. Now, the trio of rappers, producers, and singers has announced the release date of their upcoming album, Cocoa Sugar, the long-awaited follow-up to their critically-acclaimed 2015 album, White Men Are Black Men To, along with the video for the album’s second single, “In My View.”
The video begins with some truly stunning visuals from a studio photo shoot but quickly subverts them by imposing the director’s instructions onscreen, providing the sense that what you see isn’t always necessarily what is. The video also reveals some of the behind-the-scenes work that creates the sort of striking photos that accompany ad campaigns and professional pictorials of artists and entertainers. It says, “Things are not always what they seem,” which acts as a strong reminder in the modern political and artistic climate to take the show with a grain of salt.
Cocoa Sugar‘s first single “Lord,” released in November, was the first indication of the new album’s direction, and with the release of “In My View,” fans can rest assured that Young Fathers have lost none of their razor-sharp insight and creative adventurousness. See the tracklist and cover below. Cocoa Sugar is out March 9 on Ninja Tune.
01. See How
02. Fee Fi
03. In My View
04. Turn
05. Lord
06. Tremolo
07. Wow
08. Border Girl
09. Holy Ghost
10. Wire
11. Toy
12. Picking You
