NEWS
Kokoroko announce second studio album ‘Tuff Times Never Last’, share new single ‘Sweetie’
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Celebrated London-based Afrobeat collective Kokoroko have announced the release of their much-anticipated second studio album, Tuff Times Never Last, due out July 11th via Brownswood Recordings. Accompanying the announcement is the release of the album’s infectious lead single, ‘Sweetie’, now available on all platforms.
Tuff Times Never Last is a vibrant, genre-blending body of work that captures the band’s evolution since their critically acclaimed 2022 debut Could We Be More. The new 11-track album offers an uplifting meditation on dualities—joy and sorrow, community and solitude, past and future—delivered through Kokoroko’s signature fusion of Afrobeat, jazz, and soul. The band cite sonic influences ranging from Loose Ends and Sly & Robbie to Patrice Rushen and William Onyeabor, folding in elements of British R&B, West African disco, bossa nova, lovers rock, and funk.
Co-bandleader Sheila Maurice-Grey describes the group’s expanded musical direction: “Innately, we’re jazz musicians but we've tried not to box ourselves into one sound. There’s a level of freedom we’re starting to feel. We want to continue being as creative as possible without feeling any boundaries.”
The album’s first single ‘Sweetie’ is a playful, horn-driven track that salutes West African disco while experimenting with synth textures and electronic grooves—a clear signal of Kokoroko’s growing creative ambition. It marks the band’s first new release since their acclaimed 2024 EP Get The Message.
To celebrate the album’s release, Kokoroko will play their biggest headline show to date at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on September 25th. The show promises a genre-spanning, high-energy performance from one of the UK’s most exciting and forward-thinking live acts.
Upcoming Shows (UK/EU):
May 25 – Recessland, Margate, UK
September 25 – O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK
Tuff Times Never Last is set to further cement Kokoroko’s reputation as genre-defying innovators at the forefront of the British jazz renaissance.
Tuff Times Never Last is a vibrant, genre-blending body of work that captures the band’s evolution since their critically acclaimed 2022 debut Could We Be More. The new 11-track album offers an uplifting meditation on dualities—joy and sorrow, community and solitude, past and future—delivered through Kokoroko’s signature fusion of Afrobeat, jazz, and soul. The band cite sonic influences ranging from Loose Ends and Sly & Robbie to Patrice Rushen and William Onyeabor, folding in elements of British R&B, West African disco, bossa nova, lovers rock, and funk.
The album’s first single ‘Sweetie’ is a playful, horn-driven track that salutes West African disco while experimenting with synth textures and electronic grooves—a clear signal of Kokoroko’s growing creative ambition. It marks the band’s first new release since their acclaimed 2024 EP Get The Message.
To celebrate the album’s release, Kokoroko will play their biggest headline show to date at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on September 25th. The show promises a genre-spanning, high-energy performance from one of the UK’s most exciting and forward-thinking live acts.
Upcoming Shows (UK/EU):
May 25 – Recessland, Margate, UK
Tuff Times Never Last is set to further cement Kokoroko’s reputation as genre-defying innovators at the forefront of the British jazz renaissance.
