Back with new material, the London-based future funk quintet deliver their ‘tears under the glitterball’ moment with the announcement of debut album A Good Dream, set for release 17th February 2023.
Luxuriating in the sounds, styles, and production techniques of synth funk, Jai Paul, ABBA and beyond, Tungz revel in the electrodrama extravaganza of disco, soft rock, and pop bombast. They even leave room for a few sprinkles of 80s pop on new single Is Cory Okay?
Opening on pads that sounds like a warm LA sunrise and bubbling with the characteristic dorky, oddball mawkishness that is Tungz 101, Is Cory Okay? blossoms into a sugar-glass 80s pop ballad for the masculine mental health crisis. Quincy Jones guitars chip away at the soft underbelly of synth, shaping and modelling until sleek lines are established and the entire track becomes effortlessly aerodynamic. The lyric explores male anxiety disorder from the point of view of friends looking to alleviate the psychological distress of a protagonist who outwardly rejects the value of the support but internally begs for it to continue as he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s yet another example of Tungz multi-dimensional approach to song writing, asserting theirs as an essential voice in 2023.
The accompanying music video, directed by Cameron Nicoll, sees the Bristol and London-based outfit partaking in a full-fledged choreographed dance routine (Molly Barton). Jamie said regarding the video: “This was an idea that basically filled me with anxiety from inception through to delivery, despite the support of beautiful friends and collaborators Director Cameron Nicoll and Choreographer Molly Barton. The last time we put out a vulnerable Jamie song we expressed that vulnerability through the medium of bridges. The vulnerability has been taken up a notch, so we needed a new medium. And what could be more vulnerability-inducing than attempting a full scale dance video as absolute non-dancers? We can now confirm: nothing on earth could be more vulnerability-inducing. (Lord knows what we’ll do next time we release something vulnerable but it’ll probably have to involve crying and nakedness).”
Is Cory Okay? is out now. Find out more by clicking here.
