Lee “Scratch” Perry’s final album, King Perry, will be released posthumously on February 2nd, 2024 via False Idols. As a preview, the lead single “100lbs of Summer” featuring Greentea Peng arrived today, along with a remix of the track by Tricky.
King Perry was written, produced, and recorded by an 85-year-old Perry in the months before his death in 2021, and was the final product of the reggae icon’s decade-long collaboration with UK-based producer, Daniel Boyle. Aiming to expand the framework of dub to incorporate new sounds and experimentations, the two musicians began the project by sending files back and forth from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Over time, it blossomed into a full-length celebration of Perry’s style, featuring collaborations from Greentea Peng, Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder, Fifi Rong, and more.
Among the album’s 12 tracks are the single, “100lbs of Summer” — a laid-back tune carried by a grooving beat and colored by melodic horn interjections — and “Goodbye,” the very final recording of Perry’s career.
Speaking about “Goodbye,” Boyle explained: “Strangely, Lee had asked to voice a track worked on by classical composer Hugo Bechstein, who added piano and strings, quite out of sync with the rest of the set. His lyrics have him musing about going back to being a baby and being reborn, when the music stops, he just says ‘Goodbye’ — it’s the last song on the album and it’s the last song he recorded”
When King Perry arrives on February 2nd, it’ll be available digitally and on physical formats, including CD and 1xLP vinyl. Pre-orders are ongoing.
King Perry Artwork:
King Perry Tracklist:
01. 100lbs of Summer (feat. Greentea Peng)
02. Evil Generation
03. Midnight Blues (feat. Fifi Rong)
04. King of the Animals
05. Green Banana (feat. Shaun Ryder)
06. Jesus Life
07. I Am a Dubby (feat. Marta)
08. No Illusion
09. The Person I Am (feat. Rose Waite)
10. Jah People in Blue Sky (feat. Greentea Peng)
11. Future of My Music (feat. Tricky and Marta)
12. Goodbye