Reggae innovator Lee “Scratch “Perry will release a new album, Rainford, on May 10th via On-U Sound Records.
The songwriter-producer previewed the nine-track set with the woozy new track “African Starship,” which finds Perry speak-singing over a slowed-down dub groove laced with wah-wah licks, fluttering flute and moaning, muted trumpet.
The 82-year-old Perry—best known for his experimental mixing techniques and collaborations with artists like Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Clash and Beastie Boys—recorded Rainford in Jamaica, Brazil and London with producer Adrian Sherwood, one of his longtime collaborators. “It’s the most intimate album Lee has ever made,” Sherwood said of the project in a statement. “But at the same time the musical ideas are very fresh. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve come up as a piece of work.”
Perry has issued dozens of albums under various names, including several with his early studio band, the Upsetters. Rainford follows 2017’s Super Ape Returns to Conquer, a reworking of the 1976 Upsetters LP, Super Ape. He will launch a U.K. tour on March 15th in Kingsbridge, England.