Koffee’s West Indies: A Celebration of Family and Culture

If you listen to the podcast, you know how much I love Koffee. At 21 she has released a killer EP, a handful of singles and has featured on some great tracks with Protoje and others. West Indies is the lead single for her forthcoming debut studio LP release, which I am very excited for. The West Indies refers to a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea that includes roughly 13 islands, including Koffee’s homeland of Jamaica. I mainly know the West Indies as an amazing cricket side that some of the most stylish players in the sport.

Koffee takes this track as an opportunity to showcase her home to the world. In her characteristically hopeful and upbeat style, Koffee sings about endless parties, family and friends. This is the flip side to her COVID track Lockdown where she sang about being separated from friends and family with the only means of connection through digital means. In that track she dreams about leaving her apartment for human connection and not simply catching up over Zoom or watching TV. West Indies is the realisation of that dream as she spends endless nights with friends and family as they love each other and party until the end of time.

Musically, Koffee is more in the Scratch Perry dub side of things than traditional dance hall. However, she uses modern pop electro percussion and musical fill to create a fresh reggae / dub / pop sound that has traditional reggae notes at its core, but also embraces modern pop. Koffee’s flow effortlessly pairs with this pop instrumentation. The track itself is a joy to listen to and you get swept up in the party.

Going back home for her lead single is an interesting and heartwarming choice. This choice hints at a very personal upcoming record for Koffee. West Indies not only is a good time party song, but it is also Koffee inviting you into her home with her family and friends. I am looking forward to experiencing a more personal record by Koffee and learning more about her connection to home, family and culture.

Listen to: West Indies