Ghostpoet I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep Pias vinyl record Limited Edition

Experimental & Abstract Rap /Hip Hop – The two-time Mercury Prize nominee Ghostpoet (aka Obaro Ejimiwe) follows up 2017’s acclaimed ‘Dark Days + Canapés’ with a record which couldn’t feel more prescient, a dystopian snapshot of the universal unease and anxiety we feel as we enter into this new decade, an uncertain future distilled across these 10 vital tracks.
The bluesy, gritty ‘Concrete Pony’ is the perfect entry point to the record – in Obaro’s own words; “It’s a snapshot of where we’re at as a society I feel, we seem to have everything and nothing at all. Infinite possibilities and choices galore but we seem set in stone, frozen in place, oblivious to the storm clouds in the distance…”
Recorded in London and written, arranged and produced by Ghostpoet, ‘I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep’ incorporates a myriad of sounds and styles but is anchored by the more alt-rock sonics presented across his last two records. It features guest vocals from an eclectic mix of artists; Art School Girlfriend, Skinny Girl Diet’s Delilah Holiday, SaraSara and Katie Dove Dixon. Obaro has always had a keen ear for collaboration, having worked with the likes of Massive Attack, Nadine Shah, Melanie Di Biasio, Maximo Park’s Paul Smith and Damon Albarn’s Africa Express amongst others across his distinguished career.
In many ways the bare truths spoken-sung by world-weary MC and producer Ghostpoet may not be the best thing to land late-April 2020. His fifth long form offers up more anxious calls to arms, this time on issues including far right politics and passports, painting a particularly bleak picture of the world at a time when we are already struggling to stay positive. But then perhaps that’s why we really do need the lackadaisical lyrical delivery, pared back scores and melancholic moodiness of this two-time Mercury nominee. Still willing to explore themes that are often uncomfortable and regularly personal, still making heavy beats that sound deceptively easygoing, and still creating an atmosphere that’s somewhere between dark UK hip hop and menacingly hypnotic trip hop. Here’s proof the formula is still a breeding ground for boxfresh tunes.