Enter Shikari have released their highly-anticipated new album, ‘A Kiss for the Whole World.’ Enter Shikari have a way with opening statements and as their new album begins with the words “Be embraced, billions.” With title track “A Kiss for the Whole World x,” we immediately learn plenty about the band’s ambition for this album to touch people, heralding the band’s most vibrant, direct and life-affirming album so far.
Its trio of whirlwind single releases to date have reignited dormant sparks with “(pls) set me on fire,” confronted with how we measure self-worth in “It Hurts,” and eyed the trappings of cyclical mistakes in “Bloodshot.” Journeying through the new album, we are met with calls to revel in the power of spontaneity, encouraged to explore and most poignantly, asked to consider the changing nature of identity.
Lead vocalist and producer Rou Reynolds shares: “I’m so excited to let this beast out into the wild! It’s such a vibrant album, a cocktail of emotions and I can’t wait for people to delve in. Judging on the way the tracks we’ve played live so far are going down, I think it’s really gonna connect with people.”
For Enter Shikari, rejuvenation, resilience and resurrection have been on the agenda as they’ve been introducing the new songs which saw wide support across Asia from notable press and tastemakers like Rolling Stone India, HAI (Indonesia), Headbangkok, Blast Magazine (Thailand), Pulp (Philippines) and many more.
As the calendar now signals three years since Enter Shikari last released an album – their UK #2 charting album ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’ – it is useful to think back to the final question the band last posed fans: “Is this a new beginning? / Or are we close to the end? ” Little could they know just how close to the end things would end up feeling as the events of the early ‘20s dimmed the light in the furnace of their live juggernaut, and connection to their fans.
“At the time it felt like we ourselves, as musicians, were experiencing the death of our band,” explains Rou Reynolds.
It was in the Spring of 2022 that the band descended to the coastal town of Chichester, and a dilapidated farmhouse, to rebuild their studio setup and capture their renewed momentum on record. Using only solar power to track the album – in what Reynolds says was to “bring back some sense of naivety” – the life-giving properties and Technicolor palate of ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ were made real.
Reynolds continues: “Back to basics. This band – my best friends – bundled into an old farmhouse, miles away from anywhere. Off-grid, and ready to rediscover ourselves. This album is powered by the sun, the most powerful object in our solar system. And I think you can tell. It’s a collection of songs that represent an explosive reconnection with what Enter Shikari is. The beginning of our second act.”
“These are anthems of liberation for what seems an eternal uncertainty that we live in.” – Clash
“Here is an album that sees Shikari proving exactly why they’ve carved their own place in UK music royalty.” – Rolling Stone UK
Stream the album ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’ here: lnk.to/ES-AKissfortheWholeWorld
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