NEW ALBUM THE KING OUT SEPTEMBER 8 VIA 4AD

Anjimile Chithambo, better known as Anjimile, announces his new album, The King, out September 8th via 4AD, his first full-length since 2020’s breakthrough Giver Taker. To herald the announcement, he shares lead single, “The King,” accompanied by a visualizer created by Daniela Yohannes, who also designed the album artwork.

Highlighting the artistic shift from Giver Taker to now, “The King” opens with a lofty, melodic choir, an intro that belies the song’s motives. Suddenly, sinister arpeggios interrupt the reverie, and the voices grow darkly serious. Deeply steeped in the confusion, grief, and rage of being Black in America, “The King” pushes back against the tired adage, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” hissing, “What don’t kill you almost killed you// What don’t fill you//pains you// drains you.”

There’s a king on high and the king don’t lie

Stream “The King” HERE.

“If Giver Taker was an album of prayers, The King is an album of curses” – with his sophomore album, Anjimile continues exploring what it means to be a Black trans person in America. The brutally honest reflection of 2020’s deadly summer is less reminiscent of the pink cloud of early sobriety and more rooted in the reality of seeing brutality with clear eyes. Drawing from influences ranging from religion, Phillip Glass, and lived experiences, the album is a grand step forward for Anjimile.

Nearly every sound you hear on The King comes from two instruments: an acoustic guitar and Anjimile’s own voice. Other than a few beautiful contributions from Justine Bowe, Brad Allen Williams, Sam Gendel, and James Krivchenia (Big Thief), the album is entirely Anjimile, the result of a year in LA working intimately with Grammy and Juno winner Shawn Everett.

Old King Belshazzar demanded “What’s this on the wall?” On the wall red-handed So Daniel he said the words as he read As well as he could and he understood and the king don’t lie There’s a king on high and the king don’t lie What don’t kill you almost killed you What don’t fill you pains you drains you The plague of our year The Black Death is here Your silence a stain the marking of Cain There’s a king on high and the king don’t lie There’s a flood of flame and it calls your name There’s a king on high and the king don’t lie

The King Tracklist:

1. The King
2. Mother
3. Anybody
4. Genesis
5. Animal
6. Father
7. Harley
8. Black Hole
9. I Pray
10. The Right

Upcoming live dates:

6/21 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room w/ L’Rain
9/9 - Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch
9/28 - Montreal, QC @ POP Montreal
11/10 - Paris, FR @ Pitchfork Paris