QUEEN COLOBUS led by Welsh front woman Beth Hopkins on saxophone & vocals, continue to make a name for themselves within the UK’s vibrant jazz scene with the release of their mesmerizing new single 5/9, released 16th September 2022.
Combining neo-soul, jazz and indie-rock sensibilities, Queen Colobus create genre-bending soundscapes that brim with honesty, polished production, and the purest vibe-filled artistry. Their new single was written as a powerfully poignant ode to front woman Beth Hopkins’ Dad.
Beth’s 5/9 lyrics were born out of the relentless positivity her Dad expressed whilst battling aggressive cancer. “The phrase ‘five out of nine’ was sort of like a response to ‘how do you feel out of ten?’ He’d always say fine, onwards and upwards! He kept this up all the way until the end.” Beth explains: “The phrase ‘5/9’ felt strange and warped, exactly how the nights felt throughout his treatment.”
self-adjusting, viscoplastic bass-line rhythms & chromophoric dabs…
Raw Ramp Music Mag
Queen Beth is joined by: Jelly Cleaver (guitar), Will Heaton (bass) and Adam Skinner (drums), all music-makers who found they shared a love of fashioning curious yet wonderful sounds, with or without their instruments. So they formed a very special musical alliance and found a place in the London jazz scene. They have been featured on Spotify’s Jazz UK, Fresh Finds Jazz and Fresh Finds UK & IE playlists, as well as receiving radio play from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Mary Anne Hobbs, Jazz FM’s Tony Minvielle, Soho Radio’s Women In Jazz and Tina Edwards.
5/9 is taken from Queen Colobus’ upcoming EP Think Fast, due for release on 30th September 2022. The EP tackles many of the things society struggles to talk about in public, such as the pressures put on women from the diet industry, and the struggles of dealing with grief.
With an almost self-adjusting, viscoplastic bass-line, and with rhythms that seem constructed from chromophoric dabs, the bristled (though not oversharp) vocal begins a leatherlike crawl, almost on its belly (recalling Grace Slick in tone and dimension) 5/9 doesn’t go straightforwardly! No, not at all! There are many syncopated wonders and unpredictable serendipities along the way. Like any battle, this will become a jamboree of tussle and strive.
5/9 is out now!
File alongside: Arlo Parks, SAULT
Words: @neilmach 2022 ©
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