Photo by Mira & Thilda Berglind After explosive performances during UK shows with V**gra Boys and at The Great Escape, hotly-tipped Swedish visionary artist, Boko Yout confirms his long-awaited debut album ‘GUSTO’, out September 5th via Hoopdiggas Recordings. The announcement arrives alongside his blistering new single ‘9-2-5’, a surrealist satire of hustle culture, gig work and disillusioned youth. Where previous singles ‘IGNORED ‘and ‘IMAGINE’ offered psychological introspection and spiritual searching, new single ‘9-2-5’ veers into biting social commentary – though still through Boko Yout’s signature absurdist, genre-bending lens. Set to a production that fuses manic post-punk with warped psychedelia, his rapid-fire vocals tell the narrative of Mordecai (his semi-fictional alter ego), a privileged dropout thrown into the chaos of the labour market. Lost in a spiral of motivational mantras, productivity hacks and performative ambition, Mordecai becomes both the worker and the product. Boko Yout, real name Paul Adamah, says, “This is Mordecai’s red pill moment. He’s been kicked out of school, lost his flat and his income, and ends up obsessed with entrepreneurial clichés and morning routines. It’s absurd, but it’s real – a reflection of how many people try to fix systemic issues with personal discipline. I wanted the track to feel chaotic, desperate and driven by false hope.” This is about the absurdity of the rat race. At this point in the album, Mordecai is trying to ‘fix’ his life with affirmations and self-help nonsense, but it’s all crumbling beneath him. I’ve done gig work, freelanced, even worked at IKEA – it’s intense. The pressure to succeed becomes its own kind of madness.” The accompanying video plunges Mordecai into a fever dream of work, identity and illusion. With offbeat visuals, theatrical performances and unsettling settings, the video mirrors the absurd with the symbolic – a visual manifestation of the world of ‘GUSTO’: a place where satire, performance art and vodun-inspired mysticism collide. The visual was directed by Axel Byrfors and produced by Slutet är nära. ‘GUSTO’ is a debut album that feels like a sonic manifesto driven by love, intention and a deep commitment to artistic freedom. It is a kaleidoscopic journey through memory, trauma, humour and healing. Framed as a fictional therapy programme led by the eccentric Dr. Gusto, each track represents a confrontation with a different shadow of the self: unspoken fears, inherited burdens, or unresolved inner conflicts. But ‘GUSTO’ is not just about darkness, it’s also about hope, longing and the light that makes those shadows visible in the first place. As Boko Yout explains, “My goal with this album is to face the parts of myself I tend to avoid: not to erase them, but to integrate them. Shadows aren’t good or bad. They’re just proof that light exists.” Raised in a religious household in Örebro, with roots in Togo and Mozambique, Boko Yout weaves together raw emotion, spiritual symbolism and bold experimentation. Referencing vodun philosophy, Jungian archetypes and post-genre production, he draws inspiration from artists like Yves Tumor, Odd Future and LCD Soundsystem. His early acclaim has already included three landmark award nominations: Newcomer of the Year at the Swedish Grammis, Artist of the Future at the P3 Guld Awards, and for a Music Moves Europe Award. |
