In the wake of two sold-out shows at London’s iconic KOKO, and a plethora of sold-out tour dates, emotive, cinematic break-beat trio GoGo Penguin are back, with news of their forthcoming new album Everything Is Going to Be OK – set for release April 14, 2023.
With the optimism of new beginnings – a new drummer, a new record label, (Sony Music electronica and neo-classical imprint XXIM Records), and a subtly updated and developed sound, the Mercury Music Prize-nominated band are ushering in a more sonically liberated era. An inimitable trio with a truly captivating and quasi-magical presence, their music is both transformational and ethereal.
Landing alongside the news of the highly-anticipated forthcoming record is the sublime new single “Glimmerings” – the first offering from the forthcoming project and a stellar example of the GoGo Penguin 2.0 era that is beginning. One of the first tracks that was recorded for EIGTBO, “Glimmerings” is exactly as its title suggests – the flickering first moments of something newly created; both literally and metaphorically. Its title was inspired by British Professor Anil Seth’s ‘Being You’ – Nick Blacka explains:
“Glimmerings was one of the first tunes that we began to work on when preparing ideas for a new album. The word glimmerings stood out when I was reading a book by Anil Seth called ‘Being You’. The book is about the science of consciousness and in the Prologue, he talks about how ‘glimmerings of ideas began to emerge’. It felt like the perfect way to describe the process of thought and creativity. Glimmerings started from a small kernel on the synth and over time we added more and more layers until it became something a lot more complex. The idea behind the title is the very beginning, where there is only an idea and an intent to start with, but you have an aim and an idea for where it’s going to take you and you have to trust in the process and yourself to see where that process will lead you”.
Everything Is Going to Be OK was born during a time of turbulence and loss. Recorded in a personally difficult period for the band, which included deep personal loss and mourning, the album studio time offered the band a sanctuary from real life. The resulting project draws its strength from a shared understanding and empathy, with a truly vibrant and hopeful sonic.. Life has many great aspects to it and despite the lows, we should be mindful and grateful to celebrate the highs at every turn. Through our hardships, together, we will emerge stronger; everything is going to be ok.
FORTHCOMING TOUR DATES:
MAY – EU/UK
23-05 New Century, Manchester UK
24-05 St David’s Hall, Cardiff UK
25-05 Roundhouse, London UK
More on GoGo Penguin:
GoGo Penguin is a piano-trio from Manchester, UK consisting of Chris Illingworth (piano), Nick Blacka (double bass) and Jon Scott (drums). Formed in 2012, the trio’s sophomore album v2.0 was nominated in 2014 for the Mercury Music Prize and in 2016, the trio signed to Blue Note Records, releasing a trio of acclaimed albums: ‘Man Made Object’, ‘A Humdrum Star’ and ‘GoGo Penguin’, as well as two EPS and a remix album ‘GGP/RMX’. They were Blue Note’s best-selling contemporary instrumental artists and sold in excess of 300,000 albums.
The band composes and performs as a unit and the band members refer to their music as “acoustic-electronica”. Their largely (but not exclusively) acoustic music draws on break-beats, classical influences, jazz, minimalist piano melodies, powerful basslines, drums inspired from electronica and anthemic riffs.
When describing GoGo Penguin’s music, critics have frequently drawn reference to Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Massive Attack, Brian Eno and classical composers Shostakovich and Debussy, or even contemporary minimal music composers such as Philip Glass.
GoGo Penguin have toured extensively internationally, performing at International Festivals such as Coachella, Outside Lands, Fuji Rock, Blue Dot, Montreal Jazz Festival, La Vienne, Pukkelpop, North Sea Jazz and many more and have sold-out venues across the world from The Royal Albert Hall to La Cigalle via Paradiso and Bowery Ball Room. In 2015 the trio debuted its own original score for the cult-film ‘Koyaanisqatsi’, performing the show to ecstatic audiences around the world.
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Twitter – https://twitter.com/GoGo_Penguin