ÌFÉ are days away from kicking off their biggest North American tour to date, and to get our engines running, they’ve dropped the second preview from the still-untitled follow-up to their spectacular 2017 debut album IIII+IIII.
The Puerto Rican outfit previously shared “THE TEARER (Bembe),” a tropical ode to change inspired by the Yoruba goddess Oyá, which was very much in line with the minimalistic Afro-Cuban percussion-fueled compositions they’ve become known for.
Their new single “VOODOO ECONOMICS (WolfMan),” takes on more human subjects, as it was created in the wake of the 2016 murder of fellow Boricua musician Adolf Wolfgang Siemon-Otero, who fell victim to a drug trafficking-related dispute. Its repetitive beat, which is based on sacred Bata rhythms and played on electronically-modified percussion, sets a ceremonial tone, and walks the listener through a funeral procession as Mun raises questions about money, good and evil. The mourning reaches its peak toward the end, when singer Yarimir Cabán sings autotuned prayers in Yoruba, cradled by her bandmates’ responses.
ÌFÉ’s upcoming tour will see them perform at FORM Arcosanti, Lightning in a Bottle, and the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Additionally, they’ll stop in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, just before crossing the pond for more festival dates in Europe. Stream the song and check out the full tour schedule below.
May 3 – Union Stage – Washington DC
May 5 – African America Museum of Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
May 8 – Lula Lounge – Toronto, ON
May 9 – Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
May 10 – Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
May 11 – Lightning in a Bottle Festival – Bakersfield, CA
May 12 – FORM Arcosanti – Mayer, AZ
June 30 – Festival international de Jazz de Montréal – Montreal, QC
July 2 – Elsewhere Rooftop – Brooklyn, NY
July 3 – Museum of Fine Arts Boston – Boston, MA
July 6 – Roskilde Festival – Roskilde, Denmark
July 14 – California WorldFest – Grass Valley, CA
July 30 – O.Z.O.R.A. Festival – Ozora, Hungary