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Cover of Cousins in the Courtyard

EP · 2024

Cousins in the Courtyard

by Zuri Bell

Five songs for weddings, courtyards, old mixtapes and the neighbours you wave to.

Tracks

  1. 1. Raise a Glass to the Two of YouEverybody gather round and lift your cups. I wrote it for my cousin's wedding, and she danced through the whole bridge.wedding afrobeats, smooth highlife2:28
  2. 2. Cousins Back in the CourtyardCars rolling through the gate and somebody already cooking. It is the sound of every family reunion I have loved.cosy afrobeats, nostalgic highlife2:25
  3. 3. Retirement Cruise on the Number Nine BusThirty years behind the wheel and now he sits in the back. The whole bus sang the chorus at his party.playful afrobeats, celebration groove2:03
  4. 4. Wave to the Window Next DoorMy neighbour's light comes on at half past six and mine at six oh five. We have never spoken, but we wave.wistful pop, hopeful pop2:25
  5. 5. Track Nine Was Our SongA dusty mixtape in the glove box, and track nine was ours. I left the hiss on the tape at the end on purpose.nostalgic pop, tape-hiss pop2:50

Liner notes

After the last album I kept getting invited to family things: weddings, reunions, a retirement party on a bus. These songs came out of that year, written on the back seats of cars and on the steps of courtyards. We recorded the whole thing live in one room with about twenty people clapping, and I did not have the heart to tidy it up.

Zuri Bell