Nigerian-born singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jacob Banks shares his highly awaited new project For My Friends via Polydor Records. The follow-up to his critically acclaimed full-length debut Village, the eight-song project is available at all digital retailers now.
Mainly co-produced by the London-based alt-R&B/soul artist and his longtime collaborator Sillkey, as well as Yakob, Sam De Jong, Spencer Stewart and Jonah Christian, For My Friends came to life in Banks’ London home. With the two musicians working remotely, Banks quickly found himself more creatively focused and fully in command of his artistry than ever before.
Throughout For My Friends, Banks offers up everything from cathartic protest songs to slow-burning meditations on love and loss, each track delivered in his undeniably captivating voice. One of the project’s most powerful moments, “Found” unfolds in delicate piano tones, lush string work, and cascading guitar lines as Banks beautifully channels a mood of lovestruck surrender.
Last month, Banks shared the latest single from For My Friends, a gritty but triumphant anthem titled “Parade.” Inspired by the unrest Banks felt upon attending a protest in the UK, the track instantly drew praise from CLASH (who hailed it as “fuzzed out blues with a 21st century slant”). With its unruly guitar riffs and wildly kinetic rhythms, “Parade” was accompanied by a brilliantly surreal video directed by Banks and starring British musician/visual artist Kojey Radical. Check it out HERE.
Along with “Found” and “Parade,” For My Friends includes Banks’s previously released singles “Devil That I Know” and “Stranger.” Rooted in his introspective storytelling, the project expands on the unbridled emotion of Village — a 2018 release that earned praise from outlets like Ones to Watch (who likened the album to “an exquisitely-written memoir”) and NPR (who noted that Banks possesses “a mesmerizingly deep baritone with timbre so rich, you can almost feel it wrapping you up in song”).
