London’s underground is no stranger to innovation; with the latest release, "Allostasis," Nigerian-born, London-based artist Shasha Bundles confidently redraws the map. The double-sided single, out today, is an emotional release delivered from the perspective of Afro-beat, trap, hip-hop, and soul. Named for the psychological idea of obtaining equilibrium through alteration, the sexily titled Allostasis is shortend transformation. It’s not music, it’s movement.
The first track, “TOUCH ME, KISS ME,” starts out with forlorn melancholy, a lonely guitar riff that echoes like a heart left on read. Shasha’s verses come creeping in, edged with emo-rap, her flow sharp enough to hurt. Then, the storm hits. Afro-beat drums crash in like waves, elevating the track to another plane. The chorus explodes with global flavor and urgency, a collection of rhythm and longing. There’s a war of longing and control afoot here, and Shasha is simultaneously a soldier and a chronicler of that war.
That coin being flipped, we find ourselves with “WOYOYO,” a gentler, but still bruising, offering. It’s an homage thumping with heritage and healing, rooted in memory. Shasha summons her grandmother’s voice warm, familiar, grounding as she glides over slick Afro-beat percussion. It’s thought without ever getting stuck in the past. There is pain here, but there is also perseverance. The hook, infectious yet intimate, celebrates the struggle and then the strength that follows. What connects these two tracks is not only ambition, it’s heart. Shasha Bundles doesn’t simply sing or rap, she emotes. Her range ranges from introspection to anxious rock, and she makes it sound easy.
Whether you’re seduced by the poetic chaos of “TOUCH ME, KISS ME” or the ancestral warmth of “WOYOYO,” Allostasis is one of those projects that lingers long past the last beat. And if this is stability amid change, we’re all in.