2020 started optimistically for KOKO, the three-piece from Bristol making dark, brooding alt-pop. They played their debut in January, they released their first EP in March. Well, and then... Then KOKO went on to write four massive songs about how they are longing for human interaction and here we are. While their new EP All Together Now was written before lockdown, its themes resonate more than ever now.
Opener and title track "All Together Now" coruscates with a dulcetly soft beat drop right before the title lyric. "It’s about positivity," the band says about song and EP alike. The reggaeton beat on "So Nice To Meet You" takes you into that moment of first meeting someone, just before things go wild on rollicking "Silly With It" (This adventure through electro with razor sharp synths and a four to the floor beat can also be found on the soundtrack to ‘Dirt 5’, the latest game in the Colin McRae Rally series coming November 6th). Closing up, "Why Can't You See Me" brings down the sound to simple sustained pads and an acoustic guitar, with no percussion at all. KOKO is a band unafraid of going through the highs and the lows.
A clear visual direction, unpredictable song output and three guys buzzing to get their music heard. “We wanted to create a hybrid sound and not be too pigeonholed by the label of a genre. We write depending on our mood that day. That’s probably why people never really know what we are going to offer up next. That’s reflected in our live show too.” Did they succeed? You decide.
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