Legendary Zambian rockers W.I.T.C.H. have announced their first new album in nearly four decades. The band will deliver Zango on June 2 via Desert Daze Sound.
"'Zango' means 'meeting place,'" the band explain in a statement. "Every village will have this central place, where villagers meet to prepare for work, where youngsters go to learn, where the young ones learn from the elder folks, and where the visitors come and converge. It's an institution, a place where people are welcomed, and where people come for research. It speaks to our band and its various backgrounds and countries. We are at our own meeting point with our music."
Decades on from their inception, W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend to Cause Havoc) and their music came to greater prominence through a career spanning-compilation and further Zamrock retrospectives released by Now-Again Records, marking the first time their work was widely available outside of Zambia.
Following the compilation's success, the band's reincarnation — with a new lineup led by lead vocalist and last surviving original member, Emanuel "Jagari" Chanda — was captured in 2019 film WITCH: We Intend To Cause Havoc. W.I.T.C.H. have since gone on to realize Jagari's dream of touring outside their home country.
Now, upon today's album announcement, the past and present of Zambian artistry come together with the Sampa the Great-assisted "Avalanche of Love," which you can groove to below alongside a video directed and edited by Gio Arlotta and Tim Spreng.
Pre-order and pre-save Zango.
Zango:
1. By the Time You Realize
2. Waile
3. Nshingilile
4. Streets of Lusaka
5. Unimvwesha Shuga
6. Avalanche of Love
7. Malango
8. Stop the Rot
9. These Eyes of Mine
10. Message from W.I.T.C.H.
"'Zango' means 'meeting place,'" the band explain in a statement. "Every village will have this central place, where villagers meet to prepare for work, where youngsters go to learn, where the young ones learn from the elder folks, and where the visitors come and converge. It's an institution, a place where people are welcomed, and where people come for research. It speaks to our band and its various backgrounds and countries. We are at our own meeting point with our music."
Decades on from their inception, W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend to Cause Havoc) and their music came to greater prominence through a career spanning-compilation and further Zamrock retrospectives released by Now-Again Records, marking the first time their work was widely available outside of Zambia.
Following the compilation's success, the band's reincarnation — with a new lineup led by lead vocalist and last surviving original member, Emanuel "Jagari" Chanda — was captured in 2019 film WITCH: We Intend To Cause Havoc. W.I.T.C.H. have since gone on to realize Jagari's dream of touring outside their home country.
Now, upon today's album announcement, the past and present of Zambian artistry come together with the Sampa the Great-assisted "Avalanche of Love," which you can groove to below alongside a video directed and edited by Gio Arlotta and Tim Spreng.
Pre-order and pre-save Zango.
Zango:
1. By the Time You Realize
2. Waile
3. Nshingilile
4. Streets of Lusaka
5. Unimvwesha Shuga
6. Avalanche of Love
7. Malango
8. Stop the Rot
9. These Eyes of Mine
10. Message from W.I.T.C.H.
