The latest single from Ondara is the gorgeous ‘A Nocturnal Heresy’. The accompanying performance video is brilliantly directed by Nate Ryan – the camera zooms in and out and pans around Ondara as he fills the space with sound and character. Ondara’s lyrics are like free-form poetry: “She was always but a metaphor // For my spiritual path…She was always but a miracle // The scientist kind // Her man was a neanderthal // With pain came design.” As ever, Ondara’s vocal performance is simply stunning, rising and falling, then soaring in angelic melody over a thumping rhythm.
The single is taken from ‘Spanish Villager No: 3’, the upcoming album due out on 16th September 2022. The album is based around a mysterious character with a potent message: the enigmatic Spanish villager of the title. Initially, the character appeared in a short story Ondara wrote, which he then turned into a graphic novel before building a collection of songs around him. Ondara has also announced a North American and European tour for the autumn, which includes a date at Lafayette in London on 23rd November.
Growing up in Nairobi, Ondara developed a love for Bob Dylan and other American roots musicians and dreamed of one day emulating his heroes. As a youngster in Kenya, he could barely have imagined that he would become a GRAMMY-nominated artist himself, living in the USA, releasing critically-acclaimed albums and opening for acts like The Lumineers, First Aid Kit and Neil Young. He often writes about his experiences far from home and he has, indeed, come a long way. Ondara’s music is simply beautiful.
Check out ‘A Nocturnal Heresy’, a rhythmic, melodic joy, and previous single ‘An Alien in Minneapolis’, while you wait for the highly-anticipated new record.
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