PIGEON - Outtanational

One of the most intriguing proposals of recent months comes from Kent: five musicians of varied artistic backgrounds (boasting collaborations with Sault, Little Simz and Michael Kiwanuka) who, with a free-form spirit, conjure up an afro-synth-funk that feeds on punk irreverence, adventurous kraut sounds and ethno-psych melismas.

"Outtanational" is an unintentionally exotic record, full of gripping, elegantly abrasive rhythmic ideas, branded with the vocal exuberance of Falle Nioke, a singer and percussionist from Guinea, who provides just the right spark for Graham Godfrey (drums), Josh Ludlow (bass), Steve Pringle (synthesizers) and Tom Dream (guitar). It's an unpredictable sonic excursion that combines the energy of African music with restless electronic and dub-reggae sounds.
The afro synth-pop of "NRG" not only opens the album but underlines the powerful instrumental blend among the five, far removed from DIY aesthetics but not from its ethical underpinnings; the invigorating funk digressions built on pocket Casio synths in "Miami", the equally enticing forays into the most subversive disco of the 1970s on "Mirror Test", and the electro-rock degenerations of "Future Country" round out a rather crooked sonic mosaic.

"Outtanational" is a record that skilfully balances cosmopolitan temptations – the afro-psychedelia of "Caramel" and the indie-pop lightness reminiscent of Tv On The Radio ("Today Is Another Day") – only conceptually at odds with the impure kraut-rock in western guise of "Hype Prototype" and with the scorching synthesis of post-punk, funk-dance and afro-kraut on "Black James Dean", a track destined to become the year's ecstatic earworm.
With "Outtanational", Pigeon (whose name, incidentally, comes from Falle Nioke's first pet) stake their claim as the year's most delightfully wild band, thanks to an original, hard-to-pin-down album that's bold but never self-indulgent. A multicultural hybrid perfect for summer.

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23/06/2026