Blk Jks - Mystery EP

The hype is building around Blk Jks, and with good reason. Imagine the zeitgeist creativity of Brooklyn transposed to the raw, head-to-head soundclash of South Africa, and without trivialising their achievement, you’re somewhere near their sound. That’s no coincidence: Blk Jks are a Johannesburg quartet produced by the Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis, a cross-cultural marriage that proves to be an inspired one. They create a unique, haunted post-rock sound with spectral flashes of an Africa Vampire Weekend only dream of. First track Lakeside is spurred on by a fierce polyrhythm section and some twisting, elaborate Afro guitar, and the title track is a building, primal, multi-layered genre-bender that merits a TV On The Radio comparison. It all bodes well for whatever comes next. [Euan Ferguson]