by Ben Hogwood, with text from the album press release

London artist kwes. returns with his new record Kinds, his first solo material in eight years; an evolutionary work of meditative, otherworldly minimalism, ambient, classical composition & shoegaze inspired by memory, colour and his kids, who also helped create the project’s artwork. As the world outside becomes noisier, this is a project that creates a space of tranquility and solace, while planting a flag in yet another new frontier of popular music. 

Kinds will be released by Warp Records on Friday 27 February, and you can listen to the new single Black (Grey) below:

Made after a reset following a period of burn out – a period alleviated by a family holiday in a popular holiday resort – kwes. was inspired to make Kinds after an incident involving his daughter: “My oldest daughter was busy drawing and in the midst of it, she accidentally knocked over her glass of drink and it went all over her work. It frustrated her for a few seconds, then she was fine and started another one… That was the catalyst for me to start the record – to decompress, to ‘release’ life-experience: good, bad and everything in between – to ‘commit it to tape’ as succinctly as possible, without too much deliberation”.

First previewed at the Warp Happening event at the Barbican, Kinds is formed of tracks named after colours, a system of synaesthetic classification founded on three personal principles: “The first being in relation to kinds of thoughts and feelings I had felt while making them, personal reminders / colour-field coded memories in a way…secondly, so that listeners can experience the music how they want to, without much narrative, and thirdly, I simply just love colour.“

Kinds favours a subtle wall of sound that recalls Brian Eno, and Jon Hassell’s fourth world music but also the noise and drone work of The Caretaker and Tim Hecker. It’s an introspective piece made with his children in mind. This is kwes.’ most immersive work yet, where lone melodies are allowed to expand and contract into vivid soundscapes.

Kinds will be exclusively premiered at the Tate Modern, London as part of a multi-sensory presentation, in collaboration with artist Ryan Vautier. Alongside the premiere, the event will stage an intimate conversation with kwes., as well as artist DJ sets throughout the night. The record will also be available to purchase exclusively at the event. 

In a recording career lasting more than 15 years, Kwes Sey has remained 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 artistic vision with four tracks, including the hit single ‘Bashful’ and the enduring, beautifully fraught  anthem ‘LGOYH – Let Go Of Your Hurt’, which appeared on the Rye Lane soundtrack over a decade later, this time featuring Sampha and Tirzah. His debut album ‘lp 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, Bobby Womack, The xx, Mica Levi, Sampha, Tirzah, Kelela, Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Nubya Garcia, Rosie Lowe, Selah Sue, Black Coffee, Lucy Rose, as well as his brother Coby Sey have all called on his services in the studio. kwes. has also worked on film scores, providing the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed romantic comedy Rye Lane as well as the groundbreaking documentary Black Is Beautiful, about photographic artist and activist Kwame Brathwaite.

Published post no.2,797 – Friday 13 February 2026