Following their masterful 2020 double LP The Cycle, which showcased a bold, skittering hip-hop take on gospel music, and 2024’s emphatic blues-rock tape Ancient//Future, the Cleveland based Afrofuturist collective returns with Flowers for the Living.

As conduits of the mid-1960s Black ecstatic tradition, M[A]B’s self-described “spirit work” is rooted in openness, free improvisation, utterance, and possession, and this record embodies the genetic memories of their ancestors and boundless collaboration, free of judgment, genre constructs, or centralized decision making. While songs from previous albums were typically sculpted during live concerts and later recorded, the majority of tracks that appear on Flowers were mapped out during the recording process. This brought forth a new free-flowing, full-band approach to songwriting—one where everyone worked together from scratch, rather than instrumentalists adding parts to songs that had already been largely formed. Another key departure was the recruitment of guest vocalists—Southern rocker Lee Bains III (Lee Bains + The Glory Fires) and left-field rapper Fatboi Sharif—which marks the first time outside artists have contributed to a M[A]B record. This album’s fresh energy also comes from engineer Jah Nada, who recorded these songs, as well as The Cycle, but was officially welcomed into M[A]B as a musician this time around, lending funky bass lines in addition to dark, otherworldly production.

 Many roads led them here—both literally and figuratively. Over the past few years, M[A]B toured the U.S., Europe, and Australia with revered experimentalist Lonnie Holley, serving as his backing band and engaging in live improvisation, which became a significant source of inspiration. They liken that period to being in a classroom, with Holley pushing them forward in ways they didn’t think possible, and they returned with a rich spiritual momentum that informed Flowers for the Living and its predecessor. But make no mistake: M[A]B have always had a boundary-pushing streak. In 2022, they released Celestial Bodies, a series of experimental collaborations with renowned German choreographer Christoph Winkler, Adult Swim, and The Cleveland Museum of Art, and their discography spans everything from gorgeous neo-soul, trippy dub-punk, and futuristic hip-hop to sweat-dripping funk, enigmatic electronic dirges, and beyond.

 The title, Flowers for the Living, is a reference to grief and the kind of love that’s taken for granted. The phrase resembles a well-known quote commonly misattributed to Anne Frank: “Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude." Misattribution aside, it’s a biting sentiment that illuminates the pervasive moral decay of the Western world. For M[A]B, they’ve watched friends and fellow musicians only receive due praise after they passed away, which prompted Washington to more regularly express fondness for people while in their presence. Around the same time, Washington noticed May’s use of the phrase “flowers for the living” in a social media post, which was similar to the language he had been utilizing—a parallel that felt more spiritual than coincidental. The title is also fitting because it conjures warm memories of their time on tour in Amsterdam, admiring the city’s colorful tulips.

This record may radiate with cosmic joy, but Mourning [A] BLKstar also has unfinished business—and not just because Washington feels the need to justify his band logo tattoo. Despite their longevity, they have an inkling that not everyone who’s destined to hear their music has encountered it yet, and Flowers for the Living’s refined, immersive, and unpredictable tracklist makes a strong case for their all-encompassing spirit work. They’ve established themselves as astute chroniclers of America’s systemic injustices, inherent contradictions, and resilience, and their reverence for radical Black and queer modes of expression only enhances the richness of their art. Lucky for us, M[A]B thrives on frenetic energy, and they continue to add to their treasure trove. And lucky for them, they’ve got nothing but limitless space ahead.

Tracklist:

1 "Stop Lion 2" (feat. Lee Bains)
2 "Can We?"
3 "Letter to a Nervous System"
4 ""88 Pt. 1"
5 "Flowers for the Living"
6 "Legacy to Begin"
7 "Let 'Em Eat" (feat. Fatboi Sharif)
8 "88 Pt. 2"
9 "Lil' Bobby Hutton"
10 "Choir A'light"

Credits:

Written, performed and arranged by Mourning [A] BLKstar
Produced by Mourning [A] BLKstar
Recorded, mixed, mastered by Jah Nada
Lyrics by RA Washington, LaToya Kent and James Longs
Guest performances by Lee Bains and Fatboi Sharif

M[A]B is
LaToya Kent lead vox
James Longs lead vox
Dante Foley drums
Theresa May trumpet
Pete Saudek guitar, keys
Jah Nada bass, production
RA Washington lead vox, drum machines, production

Release date: May 16, 2025