Two years after the acclaimed Mandy & The Jungle, the Nigerian artist offers a glimpse of his new soundscape through an official album trailer.
In the Nigerian alté scene, Cruel Santino needs no introduction. He is widely considered one of the pioneers of the West-African alternative culture movement alongside the likes of Odunsi. His latest album, Mandy & The Jungle (2019), made a huge splash in the Nigerian industry, disrupting the fast, hits-fueled market with a deeply conceptual album that represented an entire musical universe. Santi is now back with another project, seemingly as abstract as his previous one: Subaru Boys, scheduled for release on October 22.
A glimpse of this new album, which will have big boots to fill in living up to the legacy of Mandy, comes in the form of a trailer dubbed “Final Heaven.” Shuffling between scenes of Japanese anime and short interviews with Santino’s different alter-egos, the visual gives a taste of what’s to come: “I’m going to make this Subaru world a universe so that when you hear it, when you enter it, you know you’re in Subaru,” Santi says with an erratic, enigmatic smile. The Japanese influence is also reflected in the album’s title, Subaru, being the name for a cluster of stars in the Taurus constellation (in addition to the vehicle brand). It all marks a new chapter for Santi, though the goal, it seems, is to remain on the same wave, challenging and toying with the Nigerian mainstream.
Subaru Boys, scheduled for release on October 22.
