Review: Bongeziwe Mabandla – iimini

In the early stages of a relationship, we often overlook the undesirable traits of our partners; we are preoccupied with the euphoria of falling in love, and our oversight often becomes our demise. Suddenly, the lover you once could not live without now becomes your nemesis. The confluence of these events defines the theme of iimini.

At times the music retreats and Mabandla’s heart-warming Xhosa lyrics draw the listener into a reflective spiral of life, love and despair. This can be felt on ‘masiziyekelele’ where the song sets soft traditional guitar notes against warm electronic pings and beats until the music’s tempo decreases, leaving Mabandla dwelling on influences from US indie bands like Bon Iver.

“I’ve always loved listening to lyrics,” Mabandla says. “South Africans love storytelling in a song and I am led by a desire to be part of that tradition when writing.” The singer-songwriter drew inspiration from his roots, being from Tsolo – a rural township in the Eastern Cape province. Working around Mabandla's folk instincts, Mozambican-born producer and musicians Tiago Correia-Paulo of 340ml and Tumi and the Volume fame seamlessly delivered an exploratory fusion of soul, indie and electronica on the album.

The two previously collaborated on Mabandla’s 2017 sophomore album Mangaliso, which earned them a South African Music Award the for Best Alternative Album. They teamed up again in Johannesburg and Maputo for 21 days to record iimini in March last year. “The recording was run very much on instinct,” Correia-Paulo says. “Working in this way really drew out the best in Bongeziwe. We recorded a lot of vocal and guitar sketches on my phone and ended up using more than 10 of these parts on the album.”

Iimini often segues from moments of heartbreak to melancholy, and much like ‘masiziyekelele’ each track has a perfect place in the story. ‘Zange’ (never) exudes dark elements as it distils love with an adamant and stomping drum. The untried but joyful ‘jikeleza’ (to go around) brings soul-bearing chants. On this piece, Mabandla touches on the universal need to change ancient narratives of love and connect with one another.

‘Ukwahlukana’ is experimental with a great groove, an insistent percussion and a subtle trap feel to the song, which is overlaid by vocals from US R&B musician Son Little. ‘Bambelela kum (4.6.18)’ is about tolerating each other, and questioning the reason why couples get into relationships in the first place. It’s short and sweet in its delivery, and it was laid down in the last 30 minutes of studio time on the final day of recording. 'Ndiyakuthanda’ closes the love tale with a fusion of indie guitaring and the reverence of a prayer.

Artist: Bongeziwe Mabandla
Album: iimini
Year: 2020
Label: Platoon