Bloc Party singer and guitarist Kele Okereke has confirmed that his new album 2042 will be released on November 8th through his own KOLA label.

The album is preceded by lead single Jungle Bunny, which sees Okereke tackling the cult of Kanye West (He’s gone full Ye / And he’s starting to feel / That s**t might pop off) and the superstar rapper’s celebrity lifestyle and rise to stardom.

In a press release to announce 2042, Okereke said: “There is a history of black entertainers feeling that after they have achieved a certain level of success that they are above discussions of race but that idea is a delusion. 

“As a person of colour living in the western world, it does not matter how much wealth one accumulates, race will follow you wherever you go. With Jungle Bunny I wanted explore this idea: In a time of such rampant division and public racism, what is the responsibility of the black entertainer?”

Okereke’s last offering was 2017’s Fatherland, a delicate and mostly acoustic album. If the psychedelic, lyrical rollercoaster that is Jungle Bunny is anything to go by, 2042 will be a very different affair.

Though only Okereke and guitarist Russell Lissack remain from the original line-up, Bloc Party have toured over the last couple of years, often playing Silent Alarm – their 2005 debut album that still remains among the band’s best work – in full. But with Bloc Party touring duty now complete, Okereke has refocused on his solo work.

After releasing Fatherland, he also co-wrote a musical about gay marriage called Leave To Remain which received some good reviews. 

2042 track list

1. Jungle Bunny
2. Past Lives (Interlude)
3. Let England Burn
4. St Kaepernick Wept
5. Guava Rubicon
6. My Business
7. Ceiling Games
8. Where She Came From (Interlude)
9. Between Me And My Maker
10. Natural Hair
11. Cyril’s Blood
12. Secrets West 29th
13. Catching Feelings
14. A Day Of National Shame (Interlude)
15. Ocean View
16. Back Burner

Listen to Jungle Bunny here

Pre-order 2042 here