Kele Okereke solo project  April 7, 2010

Charismatic Bloc Party frontman, Kele Okereke, has just announced that he will be releasing a solo album, entitled 'The Boxer'. After taking a break from the band (who are on hiatus), he is now putting finishing touches on the 10 track project which will be due for UK release through Wichita/Polydor on the 21st of June this year.

It seems the energetic-sounding title- "Boxer" is apt; with Okereke saying: "The key for the sound of the record was to make things as harsh and as physical as I could make it." Don't despair though, it will make you want to dance, not throw shit. At least, Okereke hopes: "I've been into clubbing for years. I've said from the beginning I'm into dance, it gets me excited and I think this record is going to go some way to prove that to people, hopefully."

The album’s lead single "Tenderoni" will be released on June 14th. He’ll also be on tour in the UK in the beginning of May in addition to some festival dates in June and August.

Okereke describes the recording process: "It was just me and an engineer. I plugged in synths that I had no idea what they would do. I began programming drum beats, which I had never done before. It was completely back to the drawing board. It was exciting and terrifying. In most cases I sat down, pulled a drum beat out of nowhere and arranged stuff around that. This was as exciting to me as the first time I picked up a guitar."

Okereke recorded the album mainly in New York with producer Alex Epton, aka XXXchange, the Brooklyn-based musician who has crafted the sound of Philly hip hop outfit Spank Rock.

THE BOXER: TRACKLISTING

WALK TALL
ON THE LAM
TENDERONI
THE OTHER SIDE
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED
NEW RULES
UNHOLY THOUGHTS
RISE
ALL THE THINGS I COULD NEVER SAY
YESTERDAY'S GONE

via The Music Fix and NME