Kalu & The Electric Joint - “Garden of Eden”

SXSW 2023 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 4

Pairs Well With…Black Pumas, Gary Clark Jr., Sault

A hypnotic guitar line, echoing vocal melodies, and hip-hop percussion underlie Kalu & The Electric Joint’s 2022 single “Garden of Eden”, a psychedelic R&B jam dripped in reggae and synth-pop tones. It’s another step in the Austin band’s evolution from funk band to something more. Expressive and nostalgic melodies glide throughout Kalu & The Electric Joint’s music, achieving a sound both grooving and low-key, cinematic and personal. Afrobeat influences tend to ground their percussion and melodic patterns as well, rooting a core while the fringes of Kalu & The Electric Joint successfully explore. Since their 2017 debut Time Undone, they’ve only released four singles with each being stronger than the last, a path that could lead to a powerful full-length when Kalu & The Electric Joint are ready to go. (Kevin McStravick)