Photo: Bec Parsons

Genesis Owusu returns with the bounding avant-rap echo of “GTFO”

Ghanian-Australian artist Genesis Owusu is still riding high from the wave of his 2021 album Smiling with No Teeth, collecting a legion of accolades and selling out multiple tours. He now returns with a new single, “GTFO”, and it couldn’t be more welcome for fans of his avant-rap aesthetic.

The track opens with chorale invocations before Owusu digs into the first verse, bounding over the echoing space it inhabits. His voice is warm and inviting, and the music is minimal without drawing attention to its sparseness. Once the chorus hits, the music grows, blossoming through splashes of cymbals and mesmerizing use of a martial beat. Through these sounds, we’re given access to Owusu’s mind, and the internal mechanics that drive his perspective on life and how his past experiences have shaped him.

Directed by Rhett Wade-Ferrell (aka Uncle Friendly), the accompanying clip finds Owusu driven insane by a cockroach who just won’t die, with it creating havoc as the house is wrecked in the ensuing madness.

Check out the video below as well as his upcoming tour dates.

 

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Jul 22 – Adelaide, SA, Australia – Spin Off Festival
Jul 24 – Byron Bay, NSW, Australia – Splendour in the Grass
Jul 29 – Chicago, IL, USA – Lollapalooza Festival
Jul 29 – Chicago, IL, USA – Lollapalooza Official After Party
Jul 28 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater (supporting Glass Animals)
Aug 02 – Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum (supporting Glass Animals)
Aug 03 – Cincinnati, OH – Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center (supporting Glass Animals)
Aug 27 – California, USA – This Ain’t No Picnic Festival
Sep 24 – Austin, TX, USA – Germania Insurance Amphitheater (supporting Khruangbin)
Sept 25 – Bentonville, AR, USA – For_Mat Festival
Sep 27 – Denver, CO, USA – Civic Center Park (supporting Khruangbin)
Sep 29 – Las Vegas, NV, USA – Brooklyn Bowl (supporting Khruangbin)
Oct 01 – Mesa, AZ, USA – Mesa Amphitheatre (supporting Khruangbin)
Oct 02 – Santa Fe, NM, USA – The Santa Fe Opera (supporting Khruangbin)
Oct 07 – Austin, TX, USA – Austin City Limits
Oct 14 – Austin, TX, USA – Austin City Limits
Oct 18 – Brisbane, QLD, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Centre (supporting Tame Impala)
Oct 20 – Sydney, NSW, Australia – Qudos Bank Arena (supporting Tame Impala)
Oct 22 – Melbourne, VIC, Australia – Rod Laver Arena (supporting Tame Impala)
Oct 23 – Melbourne, VIC, Australia – Rod Laver Arena (supporting Tame Impala)
Oct 26 – Adelaide, SA, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre (supporting Tame Impala)
Oct 29 – Perth, WA, Australia – RAC Arena (supporting Tame Impala)
Nov 26 – Canberra, ACT, Australia – Spilt Milk
Dec 03 – Ballarat, VIC, Australia – Spilt Milk
Dec 04 – Gold Coast, QLD, Australia – Spilt Milk
Dec 27-28 – Glenworth Valley, NSW, Australia – Lost Paradise
Dec 29 – Lorne, VIC, Australia – Falls Festival
Dec 31 – Byron Bay, NSW, Australia – Falls Festival
Jan 07-08 – Fremantle, WA, Australia – Falls Festival

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