Mdou Moctar's Funeral for Justice is one of the best albums of 2024 so far, and now the Nigerian quartet — led by the eponymous guitarist — are keeping the momentum going by reimagining its tracks for a new record.
Tears of Injustice is due February 28 through Matador Records. "If Funeral for Justice was the sound of outrage, Tears of Injustice is the sound of grief," a press release notes, the outfit having re-recorded and rearranged the songs for traditional Tuareg and acoustic instruments.
"We wanted to make a separate version of Funeral for people to hear," the band's Mikey Coltun explained in a statement. "We're always playing around with arrangements at shows. We wanted to prove that we could do it on a record, too. And there's a whole other side of the band that comes out when we play a stripped down set. It becomes something new."
He added, "When Mdou writes the lyrics, he typically writes them with an acoustic guitar. So you're getting closer to that original moment. It retains heaviness, but it's haunting."
Hear the "Injustice Version" of "Imajighen," a meditative mirror to the blistering original, below. There, you'll also find the album tracklist in full.
Tears of Injustice:
1. Funeral for Justice (Injustice Version)
2. Imouhar (Injustice Version)
3. Takoba (Injustice Version)
4. Sousoume Tamacheq (Injustice Version)
5. Imajighen (Injustice Version)
6. Tchinta (Injustice Version)
7. Oh France (Injustice Version)
8. Modern Slaves (Injustice Version)