The Coming of Gaze is Kabeaushé's ambitious debut statement, an album that's as meticulously conceived as an acrobatic stage-show, and as flexible as a silk scarf. Within seconds of opening track Andnoword we're gifted a sense of Kabeaushé's genre-free vision, as gospel-funk chorals are punctuated with overdriven TR-808 thumps, chipmunked raps, angular guitar fuzz and dancefloor-ready rhythms. It's like an exuberant fusion of Kanye West, OutKast and Spank Rock, re-painted in East African neons.
On Bully Me Kabeaushé breaks down the complexities of their character, sweetly cooing over brittle Atlanta-influenced trills, flipping dexterously between earworm choruses and rubbery raps. They reinterpret the unmistakable Trading Places vocal sample on Caracas re-Africanizing it and shaping it into sultry, futuristic funk in a contextual shift that characterises the album's self-aware musical literacy. And you can hear Kabeaushé's knowledge of NYC rap bonafides on Dichotomous Key, a riff on The Notorious BIG's Hypnotize that shifts from an inverted, fractured beat into bare minimal electro, simultaneously highlighting Kabeaushé's production skills and their versatility on the mic.
Elsewhere, on Karachi, Kabeaushé pushes the tempo up, screaming "gimme a sign" breathlessly over pounding club-primed kicks and wiry synths. The Coming of Gaze is as layered and charged with cultural revolution as any of the litany of albums it references. Kabeaushé isn't interested in playing the clout game, they're making a statement: they're here, they're doing it on their own, and they're gonna be as extravagant and as cute as they want.
Tracklisting:
1. And Now a Word from Our Sponsors
2. A Song About Joy and Sadness
3. Bully Me
4. Lift Your Spirit
5. Arithmetical Error
6. Caracas
7. Had Lini
8. Dichotomous Key
9. Unidentified Sock Holes
10. Intolerance
11. Karachi
12. Potassium
13. Ramen Noodles
Please note that The Coming of Gaze (Vinyl LP) is currently not in store but is an imported title from an overseas supplier.
Most of the time it takes around 2-3 weeks for the item to arrive here and be sent out but it can take longer if there are any delays.