Bombino Announces New Album, Shares Single & Confirms July 2018 Tour Dates

Tuareg guitarist Bombino has announced the upcoming release of a new album and shared its first single. Bombino also detailed a series of North American tour dates with the promise of more to come.

Omara Moctar, aka Bombino, will issue Deran on May 18 via Partisan Records. The guitarist’s manager, Eric Herman, produced the LP. Deran was recorded at Studio HIBA in Morocco. Bombino’s first single off Deran is titled “Tehigren.” Moctar told Noisey the track is one he “started to write about two years ago, more or less, while on tour with the band. It is in the style of what we call ‘Tuareggae’ which is an even mix of Tuareg traditional melody and guitar with reggae drums and bass. In this case we even have the rhythm guitar chops of reggae. This song quickly became a hit with the audience so we played it more and more often in the set. Now, it is not even released but it is already a hit in Niger. Everyone knows it there already. The song is about my own struggle with being on the road all the time, away from my home. It is a nostalgic song, remembering the beauty of my home. For this reason it has always brought me joy to play when I am far from Niger. But of course to play it for my people in my home country, this is an exceptional feeling.”

Bombino plays Brooklyn Bowl in New York City on May 9 and then heads out on a tour that begins at Lee’s Palace in Toronto on July 3. From there, the guitarist brings his band to Cambridge, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.

Listen to “Tehigren,” which premiered via Noisey:

Head here to pre-order the album.

Deran Tracklist

1. Imajghane
2. Deran Deran Alkheir (Well Wishes)
3. Tehigren
4. Midiwan
5. Tenesse
6. Oulhin
7. Adounia Idagh
8. Tamasheq
9. Takamba
10. Adouagh Chegren