Toronto has a long-standing cultural connection to London, particularly through the grime and drill scenes, and those links are crystal clear on Ontario collective No Tourists' new single, "Dumbo."
The seven-piece — Keynes Woods and Garcons frontman Deelo Avery, James Wesson, and Kafayé, Lan’do as well as producers universes and Abdullah — have brought together hip-hop, grime, R&B, house music, dancehall, jazz, and funk on past releases, including last year's Snow Tourists, but in a statement to The FADER the group acknowledged that they were focused on Britain for their latest single.
"The song was heavily inspired by our love and respect for UK drill and grime music," the group said of the universes and geezr-produced track. "This track is special to us because we were all on the same page in trying to make a tune that captures our respect and love for UK drill and grime. We all pushed ourselves out of our comfort zones and surprised each other a little bit – in the end, ‘Dumbo’ is what we set it out to be, you can’t listen and remain stagnant”.
The high energy visuals embody the DIY spirit of both cities, pairing perfectly with the bass-heavy production of the song itself. The track also serves as the first single from their upcoming GUERRILLA EP, set to drop on August 14.
Watch the video above.
Thumbnail image via Ayo Adepoju.