Outtanational [LP]

Cosmic exploration. Spiritual transformation. Unbridled spontaneity. These are the guiding principles of Pigeon, a psychedelic five-piece who hail from the English seaside but make music that transcends borders. Pigeon are Falle Nioke (vocals, percussion), Graham Godfrey (drums), Josh Ludow (bass), Steve Pringle (keys, synths) and Tom Dream (guitar), musicians who have all come from elsewhere and have landed in the creative community of Margate, Kent. Their debut album, Outtanational, is a thrilling collection of party songs without limits: think William Onyeabor in outer-space or early Hot Chip making nocturnal afrobeat in a 70s New York loft. Building on a string of acclaimed EPs that have been playlisted on 6Music and led to coveted live slots at UK festivals like Glastonbury, Pigeon have evolved out of Afro-disco territory into something moodier and more motorik. It's an expansive record indebted to the power of the groove and questing to find the meaning of home, laced with heady krautrock, post-punk and punk-funk. Pigeon must fly.