Out later this month, Electricity is the fourth and most progressive album from London’s Ibibio Sound Machine. Produced by the Grammy Award– and Mercury Prize–nominated British synthpop group Hot Chip, the fruits of their labor reveal a gleaming, supercharged, Afrofuturist blinder.

So far, the band has given previews of Electricity’s title track, BBC radio favorite “All That You Want,” and the hypnotic “Protection From Evil.” Today, the band drops “17 18 19,” a song that strives for greater communication during difficult times. Add it to the top of your 2022 playlist today:

From the Ibibio Sound Machine hivemind:

This is more of a traditional style Ibibio Sound Machine track which came out of a studio jam we had. Eno’s vocal is based around a Nigerian playground chant that seemed to fit perfectly with the playful sound of the instrumental. The lyrics are rhetorically questioning the seemingly meaningless words that come out of the mouths of people, with reference to certain world events of the day. We reworked the drum track with Hot Chip, taking it down more of a post-punk route with a bit of a nod to Tom Tom Club.

Pre-order Electricity on CD, LP, and yellow & black splatter Peak Vinyl in the Merge store, and get tickets to the Ibibio Sound Machine show nearest you.

Critical praise for new Ibibio Sound Machine singles:

“If Ibibio Sound Machine and Hot Chip’s collab produced a banger like this right out the gates, hopefully there’s more where ‘Electricity’ came from.” —Stereogum on “Electricity”

“a masterful Afrofuturist pop track that incorporates elements of electro-pop, soul and Afrobeat.” —Cool Hunting on “All That You Want”

“a soulful electronic concoction” —OkayAfrica on “All That You Want”

“Another banger… some serious electro grooves here” —Brooklyn Vegan on “Protection From Evil”

Ibibio Sound Machine on tour:
Mar 30 Bath, UK – Komedia
Mar 31 Worthing, UK – The Venue
Apr 01 Manchester, UK – Band on the Wall
Apr 02 Cardiff, UK – BBC 6 Music Festival
Apr 03 Birmingham, UK – The Castle & Falcon
Apr 07 Newcastle, UK – Wylam Brewery
Apr 08 Glasgow, UK – St. Luke’s
Apr 09 Leeds, UK – Belgrave Music Hall
Apr 14 London, UK – Electric Ballroom