Song You Need: Loshh finds his footing on “ọ”

The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.

Loshh's Ífaradá was a collection of lessons in resolve and resistance. The Nigerian-born, London-based multidisciplinary's 2021 EP pulled from a medley of genres — highlife, funk, gospel, — for seven steely tracks that criticized England for its involvement in the slave trade ("Revolution") and encouraged Black people to celebrate their resilience ("Faji"). It was recorded in July 2020 alongside producer Santiago Morales, making it a pandemic record, but its core messages of Black liberation are unfading. Premiering on The FADER today is his new song “ọ” and its video, co-directed by Loshh and Ivor Alice.

A Prince-like yell from Loshh opens the track, fully waking up the band before his voice dissolves into their subdued and moody groove. “Oh I've been waiting/For me to find my ground on this Earth,” he says as spirited horns buzz in the background. He's proudly taking the reins in that moment, determined to making a better future. The hypnotic repetition of “ko si mo” accompanied by soft drums before the final chorus is a brief break from the jam session that resets the energy of the room. In a statement about the video, Loshh said he “was sofa surfing and putting on this front to the world.” On “ọ,” he makes sure to celebrate even the smallest victories of life.