Genesis Owusu's third album, Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge, arrives with significant expectation after his previous works won the Aria album of the year. The Australian artist, born Kofi Owusu-Ansah, road-tested material from the album at intimate gigs at Sydney Opera House last September, where he radiated confidence. The new songs feature snarling punk intermingling with neosoul and dexterous hip-hop, all grounded in his magnetic charisma.
A Cohesive Genre-Hopping LP
The album's first three singles—Pirate Radio, Stampede, and Death Cult Zombie—seethe with righteous anger while serving as moshpit-ready anthems. Owusu-Ansah skewers billionaires, alt-right hucksters, and racism with vehemence and wit. The fourth single, Life Keeps Going, hints at the genre-hopping found across the track list, accompanied by a video shot during his first creative trip to Ghana.
Depth and Variety Across Tracks
Beyond the singles, the album exhales into the sleazy funk of Hellstar featuring US rapper Duckwrth, then swings into the romantic Falling Both Ways with New Zealand artist Ladyhawke. The fiercely locked-in The Worldwide Scourge features lyrics like “How dare they pillage Gaza and still have the nerve to sleep at night,” standing as a central statement of Owusu-Ansah's Redstar Wu alias. The second half turns inward with the softly thrummed Situations, the pacy Runnin Outta Time, and the serene One4All, bringing the album full circle.
Production and Uniqueness
The album was recorded in a converted church in Wales with producer Dann Hume, resulting in tightly wound propulsion and intricate detail. An electronic undercurrent runs through tracks like 4Life and Big Dog, whose synth waves recall Underworld. Owusu-Ansah's vocals range from luxurious crooning in Blessed Are the Meek to chanting vitriol in Most Normal American Voter. As his best and most complete album to date, Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge emphasizes his uniqueness within Australian music, channeling his lived experiences into unabashedly political songs that remain accessible and fun.
Some listeners may find the album's references to Gaza, Andrew Tate, and the “Orange Man” claustrophobic, but for all its engagement with present unease, the album is a reminder that art is a source of hope. Redstar Wu & The Worldwide Scourge is out now.
