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Where do the boundaries of pop music reside? That’s been a central question in the more than 15-year-long recording career of Kwes Sey, a musical explorer who doesn’t use conventional coordinates to find his destination.
The Lewisham-raised artist’s Meantime EP in 2012 on Warp was a showcase of his own vision with four tracks, including the hit single Bashful and Let Go Of Your Hurt – the beautiful emotional fraught track – eventually featuring Sampha and Tirzah on the Rye Lane soundtrack over a decade later. His debut album Ilp in 2013 went a step further, melding the poppier aspects of his production with noisier sound collages.
His ability predictably led to him becoming a sought after producer and collaborator. Damon Albarn, Solange Knowles, Loyle Carner, Nubya Garcia, Selah Sue, Black Coffee, Sampha, Tirzah and Lucy Rose have all called on his services in the studio, and he’s also worked on film scores, providing the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed romantic comedy Rye Lane.
Kinds is another departure for Kwes that sees him search again for the outer reaches of music’s solar system. Made after a reset following a period of burn out, which was alleviated after a family holiday to Center Parcs, on it ambient meets classical composition while rubbing up against the rougher textures of shoegaze.
Short and tightly constructed, Kinds sees Kwes revel in minimalism. As the world outside becomes noisier this is a project that creates calm and solace – while planting a flag in yet another new frontier of popular music. (Lanre Bakare - 2025)
