IGqumelasha – Ungumbulali Kufa Ft. Ukhoz’olumpunga

The title carries a heavy word, and a Zulu speaker will read it with more weight than I can claim. What I can say is that the words for killer and death sit side by side, and that is a strong image on its own. It is the kind of title that makes you wonder who is being addressed and why.

In everyday life, we use big words like this all the time. Someone breaks your trust and you say they have killed something between you. A hard season takes away your strength and you say it nearly finished you. Ungumbulali kufa works in that space, where the language of death describes things that are not literally about dying.

The decision to make it a joint effort with ukhoz’olumpunga also fits a theme this serious. A subject like this feels better when it is not left on one person’s shoulders.

Some records you play when you want to dance. Others you keep for a night when you want to sit with your thoughts. This sounds like it belongs to the second group, at least from the way the title sets the tone.

Download MP3