For voracious forward thinkers like Cleveland-based Afrofuturist collective Mourning [A] BLKstar, space is a sacred lifeblood, especially now, as 2025 marks their 10th anniversary as a band. Their forthcoming album Flowers for the Living is defined by a transportive sonic spaciousness, with a palpable trust in themselves and their artistic choices that burns brighter than ever. Following their masterful 2020 double LP The Cycle, which showcased a bold, skittering hip-hop take on gospel music, and 2024’s emphatic blues-rock tape Ancient//Future, Flowers for the Living merges the moody, mercurial grooves of the former, the hypnotic fire power of the latter, plus the clarity that comes with reaching that first decade milestone.
We are just over a week away from M[A]B’s anticipated new album, and before we get the whole meal, the fusion experts dropped off an abstract appetizer that is undeniable and pure. The Fatboi Sharif-assisted “Let Em Eat” features complex harmonies that slowly cascade and unfold over the dark jazz of the instrumentation for an eerie performance with uplifting lyrics. In typical M[A]B fashion, “Let Em Eat” is a layered outing that becomes deeper and more profound with each listen. Upon first being introduced to the song, you experience a spiritual swaying thanks to the hypnotic melodies and blaring horns. However, a fusion flower blossoms as you dive deeper into the single. There are hints of bluesy riffs that collide with moments of slow-burning jazz, leaving behind a pile of rubble that the band climbs to belt out the positive affirmations that make up the lyrical narrative. Flowers For The Living arrives on May 16, so listen to “Let Em Eat” as much as humanly possible before Mourning [A] BLKstar unleashes their next project.
