The multi-talented Jacob Banks moved to the UK from his native Nigeria when he was just thirteen years old, and with a creative streak that took in singing and playing guitar, he started writing songs of his own at the age of twenty. He plied his trade on the open mic night circuit around his hometown of Birmingham, where he quickly attracted attention for his powerful vocals and intimate songwriting, which fuses elements of soul, African music and synths to create a rich and unique sound.

His debut EP The Monologue dropped in 2013 and earned him support slots with the likes of Emlie Sande, Sam Smith and Alicia Keys. Two further EPs followed (The Paradox and The Boy Who Cried Freedom) before Banks’s debut album Village landed in 2018, reaching number one on the new and upcoming albums chart on the online streaming platform Spotify, where Banks now regularly attracts more than two million monthly streams of his tracks.

Now Banks is releasing his new EP For My Friends, an eight-track offering created during the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic. Working with his longtime collaborators Sillkey, and featuring guest spots from the likes of Sam De Jong, Jonah Christian, Spencer Stewart, and Yakob, it’s a record that catalogues some of the highs and lows of the incredibly strange last twelve months, including songs about the Black Lives Matter protests and love and loss during lockdown. 

Lead single Parade opens the collection, a bombastic and rousing number inspired by Banks’s participation in a Black Lives Matter march in London. It’s a thrilling and inspiring track, bristling with energy and passion. Devil That I Know is a gentler affair, with Bank’s voice revealing its soulful side over a delicate piano melody, while Stranger and Numb fuse synths and vocal effects to create compelling slow burners.

Too Much is built around a catchy electric guitar riff and spins a tale of young love, while Black N White is Banks at his sultry best. Found makes use of acoustic guitar and some neat harmonies to create a breezy and absorbing listening experience, and Rizla closes the EP with its funky production, a joyous way to close out a release that’s big on heart. 

For My Friends tracklist:

1. Parade
2. Devil That I Know
3. Stranger
4. Numb
5. Too Much
6. Black N White
7. Found
8. Rizla

Watch the official video for Parade here.

Find out more about Jacob Banks on his official website.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.