French-Cuban electropop duo IBEYI received critical acclaim for their 2015 eponymous debut project, which marked them as a standout act who harness the cultural traditions and teachings of their Yoruba heritage into a modern soundscape. The twins are set to release their sophomore project, Ash, on September 29th via XL Recordings.
Along with the album announcement, IBEYI dropped off the Ed Morris-directed video for their first single, the resilient “Deathless,” featuring Kamasi Washington. The track feeds off of a powerful undercurrent of a synth which powers the twins’ spiritually affirming message of being “deathless” amidst earthly oppression, before Washington’s spirited saxophone play shines in the latter half of the track.
“Deathless” was written based on Lisa-Kaindé’s brush with French police when she was 16. “I was writing Deathless as an anthem for everybody!” she has said. “For every minority. For everybody that feels that they are nothing, that feels small, that feels not cared about and I want them to listen to our song and for three minutes feel large, powerful, deathless. I have a huge amount of respect for people who fought for, what I think, are my rights today and if we all sing together ‘we are deathless, ’they will be living through us into a better world.”
