Today, Afrofuturist collective Mourning [A] BLKstar unveiled details for their new studio album Ancient//Future, slated for release next month on July 19viaDon Giovanni Records. After establishing themselves locally in Cleveland, Ohio, M[A]B gained global recognition with their profound and timely 2020 album, The Cycle, earning acclaim and accolades from outlets such as Afropunk, AllMusic, Bandcamp, Paste, and The Wire, among many others. 

 Alongside the announcement, M[A]B are offering a first glimpse into the project's next era with the scorching single, “Literary Witches”, which arrives accompanied by a self-directed music video. "We wanted 'Literary Witches' to be the sonic embodiment of when a woman who birthed the world is unnoticed and shadowed by her children she revolts," said the collective. "Fed by her body and her hands and her heart she emotes with the strongest parts of her voice, the solid stoic sections of her meaning. Gentle sternness to set the motion back on a path that is inclusive of her needs in tandem with the needs of the world."

Ancient//Future is the band’s first official album since their acclaimed 2020 album The Cycle, and arrives in the wake of Celestial Bodies—a collection of works that includes collaborations with beloved television programming block Adult Swim, Berlin-based dance company Christoph Winkler, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Putting on Ancient//Future, it quickly becomes clear that M[A]B have grown exponentially since their last studio effort. Featuring contributions by violinist Caitlin Edwards,Ancient//Future presents M[A]B at their most direct, unrepressed, and thought-provoking – a work aptly represented in the album’s compelling cover art, created by LA-based artist Dakari Akil. Through a dialogue between contemporary digital techniques and live instrumentation, they are dedicated to crafting aural stories that illuminate the African Diaspora. With a unique blend of organic textures, harmonized vocals, and hip-hop production, M[A]B's work transcends genre and eschews convention.

Arriving on the heels of a tour supporting celebrated experimentalist Lonnie Holley, M[A]B returns with a commanding album filled with rich auditory exploration and profound narratives. At the core of Ancient//Future is a rousing, ruminative thesis: “In a world that is shaken at its core, at war with the earth and in its values, in its capital perspective and ignorant to the depth of life’s meaning we offer a suite of songs entitled Ancient//Future. How do you approach a flame that spits fire in all directions? A flame that careens the message on its very back? In a landscape filled with love and love lost, valor and brewing contempt of a marginalized box with tight locks. This output breaks through the ceiling and demands to be seen in full color and uninhibited nakedness.” Exploring themes of intense passion, love, loss, courage, and marginalized anger, M[A]B aren’t afraid to confront the turmoils and conflicts of our contemporary world to blaze new paths forward. 

Ancient//Future is a bold continuation of their commitment to challenging the cultural paradoxes of America and forging new pathways in what they call heart music, further solidifying their place as one of the most innovative forces in modern music. Stay tuned for more updates and announcements from M[A]B as they gear up to share more of their inspired and unexpected music.