Simon Green, a.k.a. Bonobo, has announced his sixth full-length album Migration, out January 13 on Ninja Tune. The title suggests the same sort of natural, lush vibes as previous releases Black Sands and The North Borders, and lead single “Kerala,” named after a beautiful region on India’s tropical Malabar coast, backs that assumption up, even with its ill-fitting video of washed-out browns and greys. While the Brandy sample that comes in midway through the track — oddly evocative of Sampha — livens things up, “Kerala” is mostly more of the same: unassuming chill vibes ideally suited for the background of a cocktail party, study session, or after-hours lounge.
It’s a functional form of downtempo that Bonobo could rightly claim to be the world leader in: The North Borders spent time at #1 on the electronic charts of both the US and the UK, and songs from The North Borders showed up everywhere. That success has allowed Green to handpick his guests on Migration, including appearances by Nick Murphy (f.k.a. Chet Faker), Michael Milosh of Rhye, Nicole Miglis of Hundred Waters, and more.
Migration tracklist:
01. Migration
02. Break Apart (feat. Rhye)
03. Outlier
04. Grains
05. Second Sun
06. Surface (feat. Nicole Miglis)
07. Bambro Koyo Ganda (feat. Innov Gnawa)
08. Kerala
09. Ontario
10. No Reason (feat. Nick Murphy)
11. 7th Sevens
12. Figures