"Everybody has heard about the Wild West. But what about the even wilder East?", asks Bosnia's mighty ska punk outfit Dubioza Kolektiv. The band are gearing up for the release of their ninth album #fakenews, out on January 28th, and have shared another taster of the record in the form of brand new track 'Wild Wild East'.
"Are you ready to plunge into the dark depths of the Balkan peninsula, to unleash mythical black and yellow beasts and feel infectious grooves that will make you dance until you drop from exhaustion? Are you ready for mind-altering, Rakija-infused experience that will change your life forever? If you are - welcome to the Wild Wild East," they continue.
It follows on from the release of the power-house single 'Cross The Line' featuring respected French artist Manu Chao, which was written as an empowering message of freedom and an ode to the determination, courage, and strength needed to leave one's homeland and face all the challenges of an uncertain future.
This is just one of the important themes touched on throughout the upcoming album, which was inspired by the spread of false and toxic news online over the past years. Behind the thrilling rush of Dubioza Kolektiv #fakenews contains 10 tracks which express their righteous rage and love of life, delivered in their signature extravagant way.
Emerging from Bosnia and Herzegovina when there was no music industry, few concerts, and no space for cultural or political expression among the new crop of plugged in youth, and the region was reeling from a deep moral and economic post-war stagnation, Dubioza sought to break the silence, unafraid to speak up on topics that weren't ordinarily spoken about.
As they set out on their mission to share their music with all corners of the globe, it was their fifth album also titled Wild Wild East, which was picked up by Faith No More's Bill Gould and launched the band to the international stage with worldwide distribution through his label Koolarrow Records.
Now with #fakenews the group continue to use their status to voice thoughts on global political and social issues, debunking stories that people are naively subjected to online every day.
"In the age of fake news, clickbait journalism, propaganda and misinformation, it is difficult to distinguish the truth from lies. This is why our songs try to debunk and ridicule fake news: migrations and refugees are not part of a grand conspiracy, marijuana is not a gateway drug, robots will not take away our jobs and artificial intelligence will not take over the world anytime soon.
"What is more likely is that a lethal combination of politicians' greed and climate change will make the Earth uninhabitable in the not so distant future."
Balancing their unique mashup of international musical influences from the traditional Balkan flavours to ska, punk, reggae, electronics, hip-hop and rock, the new album features songs in English, Spanish and Google-translated French, and includes an array of interesting guest appearances by dub-reggae artist Earl Sixteen from Dreadzone, Toma Feterman of Soviet Suprem, Mexican band Los de Abajo plus an exclusive appearance by Robby Megabyte, the soon-to-be-famous internet superstar robot.
Dubioza Kolektiv are a turbulent force who set off on a journey which has resulted in international success. Their party-centric spirit and fervent work ethic has seen them release one EP and eight studio albums, garnered millions of streams, fans and followers from all over the globe and have collaborated with an array of artists and musicians from all genres across their discography.
Their relentless approach to touring sees them playing over 100 shows each year to sold out audiences worldwide, including headline runs and major festivals such as Glastonbury, Roskilde, Lollapalooza, Boomtown Fair, SXSW and many more. They also set the attendance record at Exit Festival's Fusion stage and played in front of half a million people at Pol'and'Rock Festival, where they received the Złoty Bączek award for the festival's best international performance in 2018, voted by the audience.
Dubioza Kolektiv are a must-see live act and will return to the UK in February following the release of #fakenews for a full headline run, including a show at London's Electric Ballroom on the 15th.
UK TOUR DATES FEBRUARY 2020
12th - O2 Institute, Birmingham
13th - The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
14th - Concorde 2, Brighton
15th - Electric Ballroom, London
16th - The Fleece, Bristol
18th - The Globe, Cardiff
19th - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
20th - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
21st - Club Academy, Manchester
22nd - Phoenix, Exeter
