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Apr 23, 2021 By Mark Redfern Photography by Udoma Janssen

British jazz quintet Sons of Kemet are releasing a new album, Black to the Future, on May 14 via Impulse! Now they have shared the album’s second single, short instrumental track “To Never Forget the Source.” Listen below.

In a press release, saxophonist and band leader Shabaka Hutchings had this to say about the song: “The Source refers to the principles which govern traditional African cosmologies/ontological outlooks and symbolizes the inner journey. It is the unifying factor that gives meaning both to looking backwards (in nuancing and continually adding depth of contextualization and meaning to the past) and visioning forward (in speculating and striving to realize a better future for humanity).”

Previously the band shared a video for the album’s lead single, “Hustle,” featuring Kojey Radical. “Hustle” was one of our Songs of the Week.

Hutchings had this to say about the new album in a previous press release: “Black to the Future is a sonic poem for the invocation of power, remembrance and healing. It depicts a movement to redefine and reaffirm what it means to strive for Black power. The meaning is not universal and the cultural context of the listener will shape their understanding. Yet in the end, the overarching message remains the same: for humanity to progress we must consider what it means to be Black to the Future.”

The band’s most recent album, Your Queen Is a Reptile, came out in 2018 on Impulse! and was nominated for a Mercury Prize.

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