If you’ve ever caught Antibalas live over the course of their nearly two-decade existence, you already know what an overwhelming and exhilarating experience their music is in-person, and somehow they’re able to bottle it up and make their studio work groove and climax just as dramatically, like you’re right there in the room with them. It’s been five years since the Brooklyn collective released a record, and now they’re about to return with their sixth, Where The Gods Are In Peace. True to classic Afrobeat’s potential to tackle dire social and political issues via cathartic party music, Antibalas emphasized positivity and hope in their statement about the album:

We are still very much a political band, but as we mature we present and pay homage to the deep courage of our ancestors, we express a message of peace, harmony, and dance, and we take a hard look into the past while forging a future of solutions.

We’ve already heard Where The Gods Are In Peace’s epic opener “Gold Rush,” an infectious 11-minute saga that sets the stage for the album’s unrelentingly gratifying funk-fueled exorcisms. Below, listen to the whole record ahead of its release next Friday.

North American tour dates:

09/08 Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
09/09 Bowling Green, OH @ Black Swamp Arts Festival
09/13 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
09/14 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
09/16 Flushing Meadows Corona Park, NY @ The Meadows Music & Arts Festival
09/22 Utopia, TX @ UTOPIAfest
09/23 Dallas, TX @ Trees
09/27 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
09/28 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
09/29 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
09/30 Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders
10/01 Ferndale, MI @ Otus Supply
10/26 & 10/27 Oakland, CA @ The New Parish
10/28 Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
01/17-01/22 Miami, FL @ Jam Cruise

Where The Gods Are In Peace is out 9/15 via Daptone Records. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Michael Davis