Desire Marea is releasing a new EP, The Baddies Of Isandlwana.
Taking in three new tracks, the record is described by Desire Marea as “a trio of songs inspired by my time living in Amandawe [in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal]. He adds that the record’s tracks are “an infusion of sounds that dominate nightlife in South Africa such as gqom, amapiano and Afrobeat.” To mark the EP’s announcement, the artist has shared lead track ‘If You Know’, which he describes as “orchestral gqom.” You can watch a video for the track above.
The Baddies Of Isandlwana follows on from Desire Marea’s second album, On The Romance Of Being, which was released in April. The new EP’s title references the 1879 Battle of Isandlwana, the first major clash in the Anglo-Zulu war which ended with a victory for the Zulus. Researching this battle amid a personal quest for his own history, Marea started to contemplate the lives of the LGBT+ soldiers in the Zulu army.
Mute will release The Baddies Of Isandlwana on November 9, 2023.
