Space Afrika Announce New Album Quiet Storm, Share Hypnotic New Single ‘If This Is Hell’ ft. Deuén

Space Afrika have announced their long-awaited new album Quiet Storm, arriving 25 September via Dais Records, alongside the release of its gripping lead single, ‘If This Is Hell’ featuring New York artist Deuén. The Manchester/Berlin-based duo of Joshua Tarelle Reid and Joshua Inyang return with a record that dramatically expands the sonic world they established on 2021's acclaimed Honest Labour. Blending ambient, trip-hop, techno, modern classical and urban dub influences, Quiet Storm is described as their most ambitious and emotionally expansive work to date.

Opening the album campaign, ‘If This Is Hell’ arrives with a striking new video and encapsulates the project's restless energy. Built around a single-take stream-of-consciousness performance from Deuén (Kaiuna Odogba), the track pairs spiralling thoughts and relatable internal monologue with frenetic, jazz-inflected percussion. The tension builds relentlessly before cutting abruptly after the line, “I wonder if that's what heaven's like?”, leaving listeners suspended in uncertainty.

Created over an extended period of reflection and experimentation, Quiet Storm sees Reid and Inyang pushing beyond genre boundaries while interrogating themes of identity, class, diaspora, spirituality and self-discovery. The self-produced album features an impressive cast of collaborators including Axelle Fanyo, Alto Aria, Klein, RXKNephew, Tony Njoku, Kelly Moran and Kiala Ogawa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtNBWbi-Eyg

“We challenged ourselves and our own notions of identity, around class and diaspora, and how that is represented across musical genres,” says Reid. “We wanted to show the characteristics of our project through the people we chose to work with.”

Inyang adds: “We've stayed true to ourselves. It's music from the heart. It's music that has a particular rawness to it, but we've articulated that in a more modern classic structure.” The album also carries a rare artistic endorsement from celebrated contemporary artist Glenn Ligon. A key inspiration during the recording process, Ligon contributed his 2009 work Figure #30 for the album artwork and ultimately provided the title Quiet Storm itself — an unprecedented gesture from the influential artist, whose work frequently explores Black identity and queerness.

Featuring live instrumentation from an array of musicians and drawing connections between rap, classical composition, ambient music and experimental electronics, Quiet Storm unfolds as a cinematic journey through fleeting scenes, existential reflections and moments of cathartic release.

Described by the duo as both a personal reckoning and an act of creative liberation, the album stands as their most fully realised statement yet — a self-funded, self-produced project forged through patience, conviction and an unwavering belief in collaboration.

Ahead of the album's release, Space Afrika will premiere the record live at The Blacklights Festival in Blackpool on 27 June, followed by appearances at Peep Festival, Dekmantel's opening concert in Amsterdam, and a support slot for Autechre at London's Magazine in October.

With Quiet Storm, Space Afrika aren't simply building on their past achievements — they're stepping into an entirely new realm.