Having been recently announced to play POP Montreal's POP Off Europe tour this May with Mozart's Sister,Montreal via Congo singer Pierre Kwenders is sharing a new video & single 'Woods of Solitude'.  'Woods of Solitude' was produced by Seattle-based Fly Guy Dai (aka Tendai Maraire of Shabazz Palaces). Speaking about the single, Kwenders said: "'Woods of Solitude' is the first song of my upcoming album I've worked on with the help of Fly Guy Dai. Since most of the recording was done in Seattle, I figured it was just natural to capture the essence of that city in the video. I wrote the song thinking what could it be if I could just BE and not trying to follow anything or anybody."

Afro-Canadian singer/songwriter Pierre Kwenders’ music is a response to a world that so often asks people who fit comfortably in multiple boxes to pick only one. While Pierre’s music ranges from icy R&B to futuristic hip-hop, his style is rooted in Congolese rumba, the ubiquitous sound of The Democratic Republic of Congo. He also sings and raps in five languages, allowing him aesthetic options most artists cannot.

Kwenders' 2014 full-length Le Dernier Empereur Bantou established him as a torchbearer for a new wave of African artists. With a new album set for release later this year, Pierre looks to build on the success of his debut. The upcoming record pivots from Bantou's housey thump to something more instrumental, incorporating strong African influence and old-school West Coast hip-hop vibes into Kwenders’ unique recipe.

See Pierre Kwenders live:

May 13 - Wrexham, Focus Wales Festival @ Rewind Wrexham

May 17 - London @ The Old Blue Last (DJ Set)

May 18 - Brighton, The Great Escape @Canada House (Green Door Store)

May 23 - London @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen

May 25 - Glasgow @ The Glad Café

May 26 - Liverpool Sound City @ Constellation

May 27 - Liverpool Sound City @ Pirate Stage on Clarence Dock

May 29 - Paris @ Le Pop-Up du Label 

June 1 - Berlin, Torstraßen Festival warm up show @ Acud

June 3 - Krakow, GreenZOO Festival @ Club RE

 (all above dates are part of the POP Off tour w/ Mozart's Sister)

Peter Perrett - former frontman of The Only Ones - releases his debut solo album How The West Was Won on June 30th through Domino Records. Perrett, whose incisive songcraft and sardonic drawl made him one of the most distinctive voices of the seventies hasn’t released any music for 20 years. Bearing in mind his most famous song began “I always flirt with death” (‘Another Girl, Another Planet’), this is one comeback that nobody saw coming.

In the hands of certain songwriters, a story of resurrection and redemption might ring a little hollow, but when the songwriter is Peter Perrett, the usual rules have never applied. Perrett makes each song on How The West Was Won sound natural and effortless, as though he were continuing a briefly interrupted conversation rather than picking up the threads of a solo career that faltered two decades ago. He claims to have barely touched a guitar in the decade between The One’s 1996 album Woke Up Sticky and the 2007 reunion of The Only Ones; with Perrett, a hiatus could so easily turn into a hibernation. Yet Perrett’s familiar voice sounds like it simply stepped out of the room for a few minutes and popped back in again.

Backed by his sons - Jamie and Peter Jr. on lead guitar and bass respectively - and produced by Chris Kimsey (The Rolling Stones), Peter’s intuitive feel for words; his flair for idiosyncratic metaphors and his deadpan wit are all still as sharp as ever. As demonstrated perfectly by the title track and album opener which Perrett shares today. It finds him railing against American imperialism and celebrity culture. The video is directed by Focus Creeps (Arctic Monkeys/King Krule) and features Peter’s band with whom he recorded the album.

Tracklisting:

1.     How The West Was Won

2.     An Epic Story

3.     Hard To Stay No

4.     Troika

5.     Living In My Head

6.     Man Of Extremes

7.     Sweet Endeavour

8.     C Voyeurger

9.     Something In My Brain

10.  Take Me Home