A Dreamscape of Beats, Battles, and Brilliance
Fresh off the critical heatwave of his debut Some Nights I Dream of Doors (and that killer Fred Again.. collab), Obongjayar is back with a vengeance—and a passport full of genre stamps. Enter PARADISE NOW: his most personal, genre-hopping adventure yet, where mental skirmishes meet cosmic night drives.
He kicks things off with “It’s Time,” a synth-drenched battle cry that finds OB living in the now (and probably screaming it from a rooftop). The momentum slips seamlessly into “Life Ahead,” a jittery, mantra-filled anthem that’s equal parts doubt and defiance—like talking yourself into leaving the party with or without your dignity intact.
Then comes “Peace In Your Heart” and “Holy Mountain,” both draped in the kind of sonic silk that only Obongjayar can stitch together. The former is a self-soothing hug; the latter, a nod to whatever higher power’s been holding him steady through the chaos.
Just when you think things can’t get spicier, OB reunites with Little Simz on “Talk Olympics”—and let’s just say, it’s less relay race, more revolution. Their dynamic synergy crackles over militant snare drums and synths that sizzle like an exposed wire.
As the album edges towards its grand finale, Obongjayar’s voice sharpens like a blade. “Not In Surrender” and “Instant Animal” channel raw, unfiltered OB: “Look at me now I’m a killer”—no disclaimers, no apologies. “Born In This Body” floats on lo-fi charm, OB’s falsetto slicing through the haze. And “Just My Luck” leans into the roulette wheel of life, acknowledging that sometimes the universe plays a mean game of dice.
Finally, “Happy Head” closes the curtain with baritone piano keys dancing like a tipsy lounge singer at last call—a fitting coda to an album that’s part internal monologue, part cosmic jam session.
Throughout PARADISE NOW, Obongjayar does what he does best: tears up the ‘Afro-fusion’ rulebook, builds his own sound from scratch, and invites us into a space that’s all heart, all hustle, and all his own.
“PARADISE NOW,” out now on September Recordings.
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