Drawing us in with a cerebral rising frequency, expanding into a dimensional Amapiano soundscape with microtonal guitar, ANACY opens Khulula with cinematic intrigue. The opus continues with a conceptual voice-over announcement with the words, “Attention all passengers, this is the final boarding call for A Rose, please proceed to gate: la plus belle…”
We love the self-referential details as ANACY is also known as Anacy Rose, and the destination is the most beautiful, aligned with the concept of the song. Now, we have been featuring ANACY’s music for a couple of years, and it is clear that Khulula showcases an evolution whilst cementing ANACY‘s ethereal sound, but in a new dimension.
The track is dreamy with tribal motifs, both instrumentally and vocally. The delivery of spiritual ad-libs fused with futuristic laser sounds, trippy notions and whispered motifs is pretty genius. It’s catchy and cinematic at the same time. We could imagine this being featured in a montage scene of a film like The People We Meet On Vacation, or an episode of Nine Perfect Strangers. The track would also be perfect beachside in Sicily, Mykonos, and, of course ANACY‘s home city of Cape Town.
Khulula is cinematic Afropop at its finest, and explores the concepts of emotional release, romantic escapism and the search for transformation – “catching flights to catch feelings”, as ANACY would say.
It is cleverly built around the Xhosa word khulula (“to release” or “set free”), and lyrically, it captures the tension between staying in familiar emotional territory and embracing change. We learn that it was produced with Mpho Mantyi. The refrain, “So Khulula“, is designed as a mantra for letting go of fear, disappointment, and emotional baggage.
Fans of Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Sabrina Carpenter, Nessa Barrett, and Stevie Nicks would be able to connect with what ANACY is manifesting, but this sound and direction is truly unto her own design. We have added Khulula to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of ANACY, including Good Luck To Her, Hot Mess, and Delight.