Pierre Kwenders, the “arresting Congolese Canadian musician whose scramble of genres, languages, and worlds sounds like the future” (The New Yorker), last year released his deeply personal and innovative album José Louis And The Paradox Of Love on Arts & Crafts, going on to win the coveted 2022 Polaris Music Prize awarded to the Best Canadian Album. Fresh off two stints of touring North America in support of the album, including a stop at KEXP, Kwenders today announces a deluxe edition of José Louis And The Paradox of Love, out June 30th on Arts & Crafts, and presents its lead single, “SMT.” José Louis And The Paradox of Love Deluxe features three brand new songs—“SMT,” “Niata,” and “Good”— along with “Vibraçao,” a reworked version of original album standout, “Heartbeat,” this time featuring Sarah Kalume. In conjunction with today’s announcement, Kwenders also announces a run of festival dates in North America and Europe. A full list of dates are below.
Lifted from the recording sessions of José Louis, “SMT” is an infectious dancefloor track that is both a love letter to and an intervention with social media. An acronym for Social Media Therapy, “SMT” sees Kwenders calling out the magic and the pitfalls of total connectivity. Kenders sings in his signature blend of English, French, and Lingala over a minimal soca-inflected beat with melodious flourishes courtesy of the international production trio of PEDRO (Portugal), ESQO (Chile), and CarloMarco (Chile).
“‘SMT’ calls for a reflection on our use of social media networks and rather good or bad we must question its effects,” says Kwenders. “At this moment in time, social media has taken an important place in our day-to-day lives. As beneficial as it may be, we can find ourselves trapped – what happens online also affects us in real life. Nonetheless, it has become a problem solver, an outlet for joy, pain & communication. It makes us laugh, cry, support, look down upon, and apologize endlessly. After all that we do it all again. The online wailing wall or maybe the Goliath of our generation. Social media therapy is what we need. Social media therapy is a necessity.”
Listen to “SMT” by Pierre Kwenders
Born in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kwenders borrows his stage name from his late grandfather, a widely respected businessman and community figure. Following his mother’s footsteps, in 2001 Kwenders immigrated from Congo to Montreal. José Louis and the Paradox of Love is a culmination of personal growth and the musical dexterity Kwenders has honed over the years, converging his strong songwriting capabilities with the bravado he possesses as a DJ. The album explores an ongoing search to grasp the universal complexities of romance, sometimes through the lens of Kwenders’ own intimate experiences. The songs were written and recorded over the span of four years, and the album is symbolically titled after his birth name, José Louis Modabi. Through different moments of tension and release, romantic narratives of beauty and disaster are packed into powerful poetic musical vignettes.
Pre-order/Pre-save José Louis and the Paradox of Love Deluxe
Keep your mind open.
[Get some music therapy by susbscribing.]
[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]