Bristol trio KOKO have revealed their new single, the deep and engaging ‘So Nice To Meet You’, bringing a deep reggaeton vibe to the band’s already pumping basslines. “It’s all about meeting someone for the first time and getting that excitement…the butterflies. It’s a feeling we’ve missed for a LONG time this year – so it’s definitely a song with a lot of optimism for the future”.
Earlier this week, the band made their long-awaited return to the stage at Hamburg’s Reeperbahn Festival – performing two exhilarating shows to a socially distanced audience.
‘So Nice To Meet You’ is the second track to be lifted from the band’s new EP ‘All Together Now’, which will be released this Autumn. 2020 started optimistically for KOKO. They had already released their subversive and creepy electronica anthem ‘Freak’ to critical acclaim, and were gearing up for the reveal of their debut EP ‘Follow’. With a sold-out London show in January, KOKO cemented their ‘hype-band’ status with a riotous performance, replete with sweat-soaked walls, earth shaking bass, hyper-active crowd-surfing and an audience so animated that the venue considered calling in security reinforcements. “We wanted people to walk away feeling something,” say the band, “That might be happiness, excitement, anger. Who knows. We just want to spark a reaction.” They got their wish with that debut show. All the pieces were in place for a stellar year, more shows were planned around releases, showcases in London and Berlin were booked. Then as we all know, 2020 had other plans.
While their music releases continued, all other plans were on hold – no live shows, no studio sessions, and only remote writing via Zoom. This wasn’t the only obstacle in their path though, as singer Oli contracted Covid-19 fairly early on in the pandemic. “Harry and I had been to a boat party celebrating my birthday. Upon returning home I felt like I was 4 days into a hangover” he says, “Before I knew it, I was bed bound for 8 weeks. It was horrific. I’m just so glad to be out the other end. I was still jumping on writing sessions and doing everything I could but it was just so unpredictable. There were moments where I felt I was getting better, then bang, the next day I was back in hospital. I’m almost back to 100% and so keen to get back to it. Won’t take any of it for granted, that’s for sure.”
