Bambara, were on a huge roll, until the pandemic hit. Rather than rue their misfortune, the band desperately tried to turn it into a positive, immediately moving to try to make more, and – they were determined – better, music. The result is Love on My Mind – a six song mini-album, mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer. Following last year’s “Mythic Love” that featured Bria Salmena (Orville Peck/Frigs) and Drew Citron (Public Practice), the band return today with the dramatic “Birds”, the second single released from this new collection and one that lends its last lyric, “love on my mind”, to the title of its parent record.

“”Birds” compresses the events of many months into three and a half minutes, spanning time when the couple we follow throughout the record are growing closer,” explains singer and lyricist Reid Bateh. “On the train, they fall in and out of sleep, reliving shared moments. Then a childhood memory bubbles up to the surface of the protagonist’s mind, revealing his complex relationship to the idea of love.”

The completion of the mini-album was not without its challenges. With the band’s core (twin brothers Reid and Blaze Bateh, the singer and drummer, and childhood friend William Brookshire, bass) scattered across the US, they remotely pieced together an EP but as soon as it was finished, they scrapped it. In their words, it felt “dishonest”. They were striving for something new and they hadn’t hit the mark. They realized they needed to change approach so at that point they decided to reconvene in New York. Finally, things started to take shape.

By now, they had a better idea of where they wanted to head. They knew they wanted to include a couple of duets and enlisted the vocals of Bria Salmena (Orville Peck/Frigs) and Drew Citron (Public Practice). They also wanted to expand their sound palette so turned to Jason Disu and Jeff Tobias (Sunwatchers) to add trombone and saxophone respectively. They recorded again, utilizing all these new elements, sampling their recordings as they went along, in the process manipulating the sounds across the release.

Bambara
Love On My Mind
Tracklist
Wharf Cat Records

1. Slither In The Rain
2. Mythic Love
3. Birds
4. Point and Shoot
5. Feel Like a Funeral
6. Little Wars

Bambara
2022 Tour Dates

01 March – Paris, France – Élysée Montmartre (w/IDLES)
02 March – Lyon, France – Le Transbordeur (w/IDLES)
03 March – Milan, Italy – Fabrique Milano (w/IDLES)
04 March – Turin, Italy – CAP10100
05 March – Nimes, France – Paloma Club
06 March – Toulouse, France – Le Bikini (w/IDLES)
07 March – Bilbao, Spain – Santana 27 (w/IDLES)
09 March – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Razzmatazz (w/IDLES)
10 March – Madrid, Spain – La Riviera (w/IDLES)
11 March – Lisbon, Portugal – Lisbon Coliseum (w/IDLES)
13 March – Bordeaux, France – Rock School Barbey – Club
14 March – Rennes, France – Antipode Club
15 March – Lille, France – L’Aéronef
16 March – Leffinge (Middelkerke), Belgium – De Zwerver
17 March – Hannover, Germany – Cafe Glocksee
18 March – Berlin, Germany – Urban Spree
20 March – Copenhagen, Denmark – Loppen
21 March – Hamburg, Germany – Hafenklang
22 March – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
23 March – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Merleyn
24 March – Groningen, Netherlands – Vera
25 March – Haldern, Germany – Haldern Pop Bar
26 March – Antwerp, Belgium – Trix Bar
28 March – Cologne, Germany – Bumann & Sohn
29 March – Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Rotondes
30 March – Paris, France – La Boule Noire
01 April – Bedford, United Kingdom – Bedford Esquires
02 April – Guildford, United Kingdom – The Boileroom
03 April – Southampton, United Kingdom – Joiners Arms
04 April – Brighton, United Kingdom – CHALK
05 April – London, United Kingdom – Rough Trade East
06 April – Hebden Bridge, United Kingdom – The Trades Club
07 April – London, United Kingdom – Tufnell Park Dome *sold out*
08 April – Cambridge, United Kingdom – Portland Arms *sold out*
09 April – Norwich, United Kingdom – Norwich Arts Centre
11 April – Leicester, United Kingdom – Firebug *sold out*
12 April – Leeds, United Kingdom – Brudenell Social Club *sold out*
13 April – Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom – The Cluny
14 April – Edinburgh, United Kingdom – Sneaky Pete’s *sold out*
15 April – Edinburgh, United Kingdom – Sneaky Pete’s *sold out*
16 April – Glasgow, United Kingdom – Stereo
18 April – Sheffield, United Kingdom – The Leadmill
19 April – Birmingham, United Kingdom – Hare & Hounds *sold out*
20 April – Bristol, United Kingdom – Thekla
21 April – Manchester, United Kingdom – Gorilla
22 April – Nottingham, United Kingdom – Rescue Rooms
23 April – Cardiff, United Kingdom – Clwb Ifor Bach
25 April – Oxford, United Kingdom – The Bullingdon
26 April – Birkenhead, United Kingdom – Future Yard
27 April – Dublin, Ireland – Academy 2
28 April – Galway, Ireland – Roisin Dubh
29 April – Limerick, Ireland – Dolans

Pre-order Love On My Mind by Bambera HERE