After kicking off the year with their sublime new single “Glimmerings”, cinematic break-beat trio GoGo Penguin are back, with “Saturnine”, the second single from their forthcoming new album Everything Is Going to Be OK – set for release April 14 2023.
“Saturnine” is a real dose of the 2.0 GoGo Penguin sound, a sound that has been subtly updated as the band begin to usher in a more sonically liberated era. It’s a sonic juxtaposition, both bouncy and somber; a blend of two worlds – driving momentum; but not allowing itself to run away. Its name, meaning ‘gloomy’, is a reminder that whilst rife with optimism, this project is one born from grief and all the emotion that surrounds it.
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.
Speaking on “Saturnine”, the band state: “The main synth line for this track had been in our pot of ideas for a while but the original version was much quicker and a bit darker. One day I was improvising with it when Nick came into the room and said, ‘try playing it this speed’ and gave me a much slower tempo. It was perfect, suddenly it had a real character and the ideas started flowing. I asked him ‘what gave you the idea to slow it down?’ and he told me it was the lucky cat.
[Nick] In our studio we have a lucky cat, like the ones you sometimes see in Chinese restaurants. Its arm makes a clicking sound when it waves, reminiscent of a metronome. It was a strange place to find inspiration, but it was just what we needed for this track. The title felt apt as one day we were discussing it and Chris mentioned how he felt it sounded a bit sad and melancholic. It hadn’t really occurred to me up until this point as I was more focused on it sounding quite bouncy and poppy to my ears. I think it’s a bit of both, but we find it’s fascinating that we can be working on the same track at the same time and yet experience it differently whilst doing so.”
With a new drummer, a new record label, (Sony Music electronica and neo-classical imprint XXIM Records), the Mercury Music Prize-nominated band are ushering in a more sonically liberated era. In the wake of two sold-out shows at London’s iconic KOKO, and a plethora of sold-out tour dates, the inimitable Mancunian trio have a truly captivating and quasi-magical presence, their music is both transformational and ethereal.
FORTHCOMING TOUR DATES:
FEBRUARY
09-02 Nilüfer Jazz Festival, Bursa TK
11-02 NOSPR, Katowice PL
APRIL
08-04 JazzOUT Fest, Heerlen NL
21-04 CRR Concert Hall, Istanbul TK
APRIL-MAY US/CA
27-04 Teragram, Los Angeles CA US
28-04 Great American Music Hall, San Francisco CA US
30-04 Alberta Rose Theater, Portland OR US
01-05 Hollywood Theater, Vancouver BC CA
02-05 Neptune, Seattle WA US
06-05 Dakota Jazz, Minneapolis MN US
07-05 Thalia Hall, Chicago IL US
09-05 Opera House, Toronto ON CA
10-05 Corona Theater, Montreal QC US
12-05 Crystal Ballroom, Boston MA US
13-05 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY US
MAY – EU/UK
23-05 New Century, Manchester UK
24-05 St David’s Hall, Cardiff UK
25-05 Roundhouse, London UK
JUNE
04-06 Progresja, Warsaw PL
05-06 Filharmonia, Szczecin PL
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 (where they will return to perform this year, on July 28th), 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 Ballroom. In 2015 the trio debuted its own original score for the cult-film ‘Koyaanisqatsi’, performing the show to ecstatic audiences around the world.
FOLLOW GOGO PENGUIN:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/gogo_penguin
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Gogopenguin
Twitter – https://twitter.com/GoGo_Penguin
By: Bass Magazine