Kokoroko – Tuff Times Never Last

Kokoroko’s reminder that ‘Tuff Times Never Last’ comes right on time. This article of faith is brought to life in the harmonies of ‘Together We Are’, each key change reaffirming the album premise with increasing conviction. This feeling is also present in the funk rumblings of ‘Da Du Duh’, and in the sweetly trumpets of ‘Just Can’t Wait’. ‘Sweetie’, which leans into the West African musical traditions of Afrobeat and Highlife, is on a romance tip, a sentiment shared by ‘Closer To Me’. Without rain you’ll never fully appreciate sunshine, and so the ‘tuff’ times are channelled in the scant-like stylings of ‘My Father in Heaven’ and ‘Time and Time’. Rooted in genres built on resilience, ‘Tuff’ reminds us that music can hold space for grief, joy and hope all at once.