A one-take cut to lacquer at Metropolis. Kokoroko record “Express Your Love” straight to vinyl, folding a 1970s soul plea into their London afrobeat-jazz language.
The track goes back to the early 1970s single by The Sweet & Innocent, where the singer asks for love to show in daily life, through actions and through words. At Metropolis, Noushy takes lead with Kokoroko for the first time, with Maurice Grey on backing vocals, Kofi Adu on keys and synths, Tobia Akinlade on guitar, Huw Bennett on bass, Onome Edgeworth on percussion and Ayo Salawu on drums.
Recorded live at Metropolis Studios for a Jack Daniel’s Revive Live session, the take keeps the arrangement compact, horns on short phrases while the rhythm section drives a mid-tempo beat. It continues the sound of the 2025 album Tuff Times Never Last, which followed their headline show at O2 Academy Brixton, and you can hear Brit-funk phrasing next to West African disco figures with each influence left clearly audible.
The four-track Live From Metropolis EP lands as a limited vinyl for Record Store Day on 18 April, with three tracks arriving digitally on 6 March. Upcoming dates include Manchester’s New Century Hall on 14 March, Cross The Tracks at Brockwell Park in London on 24 May, Charlotte, Toronto, Jazz à Vienne, Love Supreme and Rock Werchter through the summer.
Stream “Express Your Love” and the full Live From Metropolis Studios EP HERE