South Africa’s Ushuni avant-garde Inkabi Nation have rolled back the clock with their latest single “Tilili”, tearing a leaf from their playbook of romance as they continue to expand on their deliberately constructed universe of lovers snagged in cobwebs of sexual and emotional tension. Although a standalone record, the Xowla-produced ballad is yet another phone call-themed exhibition from the Nkabi Records stable, with Big Zulu, Siya Ntuli, Lwah Ndlunkulu, Mduduzi Ncube, and the producer himself reprising their roles in what feels like an unofficial spin-off of their Metro FM Award-winning 2022 lover’s ode “Voicemail”.
Onomatopoeic in its Zulu-inspired nomenclature to refer to the ringing of a phone, “Tilili” is an opus of ushuni. Its production phenotype features overlapping maskandi melodies of acoustic guitar riffs and mbira plucks, the simmering bass and erratic hi-hats of standard trap, and dragged harmonies to imbue the song with an isicathamiya-textured feel.
With its trap-influenced soundscape, which is mildly reminiscent of “Dear My Love”, the collective’s new rendition is nestled neatly in a parallel reality relative to “Voicemail”, with each member in the song sharing their romantic frustration and expressing the pain of no longer receiving love in the form of phone and video calls (“Iphone yam’ ithul’ dali, uzong’thinta nini?”).
“Tilili” Cover Art
Centered around Xowla’s ruminative hook, Ndlunkulu croons for her lover, yearning for the return of her love with painterly aspirations of dates and one-on-one moments of intimacy, while Big Zulu follows up his label mate’s verse with a quickfire contribution of vowel-based rhymes. With slick lines such as: “Ng’zami igilikidi, umlungu udali is’phithiphithi” / K’shis’ usikilidi, lobhopop’ umfirifiri,” Ushun Wenkabi rounds up the pair’s run on the single.
Separated as their verses are, soulful songbirds Mduduzi Ncube and Siya Ntuli assume one stance with their parts on “Tilili”, with the two of them alluding to their struggles as men looking for work so they’ll be able to afford the luxury of “iphone eneTV” (a phone capable of executing video calls). In their oneness of mind, Ncube and Ntuli perform with a singular voice and tone consistent enough not to derail their individual efforts even though there’s a clear demarcation between the two verses courtesy of Xowla’s chorus.
Inkabi Nation’s “Tilili” is a record of unrequited attention that longs for the spark and the sincerity of “Voicemail” while holding on to the musicality and lightheartedness of “Dear My Love”. Whether or not their lovers pick up their slack and their phones, the supergroup dialed in as devoted and affection-starved lovers should, and this head-bopping record is evidence enough that Inkabi Nation has got those numbers when it comes to crafting a traditional love song.
Listen to “Tilili”:
