Anything but straightforward … Ibeyi. Photograph: Lisandra Alvarez
Ibeyi: Offering review – French twin sisters master the balance between mysticism and edge
Newly independent and proudly self-sufficient, Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz mix ancient lore with heavy bass, and harmonies with distortion, to incantatory effect.
Having ceded creative control to numerous collaborators on 2022’s Spell 31 (veteran pop songwriter Eg White; rappers Pa Salieu and Berwyn), Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz return to first principles for their fourth album. Written mainly by the sisters themselves, Offering recentres Ibeyi in their own sonic universe: fusing the influences of their Cuban percussionist father and Parisian upbringing, the twins sing in multiple languages, summoning ancient lore over intricate beats, transcendent harmonies and brooding distortion.
The artwork for Offering. Photograph: Lisandra Alvarez
Self-sufficiency crops up as a lyrical theme, too: “One thing is for sure, I’m who I was looking for,” goes the refrain of Baba, which matches incantatory vocals with an irresistibly grimy bassline. (Perhaps the fact this is being released on their own label rather than XL, the taste-making British indie they were previously signed to, is also relevant here.)
That said, it would be a contradiction to suggest Ibeyi are going back to basics: there has never been anything straightforward about their sound. It’s a heady brew that can overwhelm in large quantities, but this finely tuned, melodically strong collection provides the perfect dosage. The duo have mastered their Rosalía-like balance between otherworldly mysticism and grinding edge: on opener Olokun, urgent chanting about an ocean deity walks the line between euphoria and doom, while celestial R&B gets a gratifyingly industrial tinge on Moshpit. Yet it’s the truly heavenly vocal interplay on the spine-tingling Good Life that feels like the Diazes’ most impressive accomplishment: an offering you’d be a fool to refuse.
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