We previously featured Digging for Kanky when they shared their high emotional quotient and raw authenticity with Send Me Away, so when we heard that the talented collective was back with Wide Open, we couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves in their sonic universe once again and share our experience.
Wide Open opens with a cerebral Jamaican Patois ad-lib and a luscious strings arrangement with textured percussion and the signature emotive, cinematic energy that we have experienced before from Digging for Kanky. The track evolves with vulnerable prose and poetic prowess. A captivating rapped-spoken word delivery leads us into a beautiful sung hook and the progressive trip-hop meets garage energy that represents the core of what the collective offers.
The soundscape is sublime, something that fans of Portishead, Massive Attack, Bloc Party and Morcheeba would be able to connect with. The themes of the track are pretty deep this time. The band says, “It’s built around the idea of making a deal – not with a literal devil, but with pressure, ambition, and opportunity. It’s about the point where you stop resisting and accept what it takes.”
This allows us to understand the ad-lib of “bad man” with reference to the devil, and the down-pitched vocal inflections which invite us into this conceptual space. The band adds, “Lyrically, it leans into religious imagery – the devil, the reaper, bleeding, the underground – but it’s all symbolic. It reflects sacrifice, compromise, and the cost of pushing forward when you know exactly what you’re giving up. The phrase ‘I’m open wide’ isn’t about vulnerability. It’s about submission. It’s the moment of acceptance.”
Wide Open serves as the third single from Digging for Kanky‘s upcoming album, Raining Stones, and there is no doubt that their music is perfect for a multitude of sync placements, perhaps a TV series like Nine Perfect Strangers, Wolf Pack, or the Buffy reboot if it ever does happen!
We have added Wide Open to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Digging for Kanky, including Lost With U, and Send Me Away.