‘JOLENE’

Trinidad & Tobago soca band KES has welcomed listeners to Carnival Season in the Caribbean with the release of its first 2022 single, “Jolene.”

The track, which had its world premiere with “Complex”, is out now on all DSPs via California-based Ineffable Records.

KES said in a statement that “Jolene” is the first taste of an upcoming album planned for this summer.

The group “Jolene” is “a buoyant celebration of good vibes and rolling waistlines, blending the infectious rhythm of soca with afrobeats and other influences for an instantly-classic, island-pop jam.”

KES said the track arrives at a time of year when soca acts typically flood the market with new music to set the vibe for Trinidad & Tobago Carnival in February.

With carnival celebrations on pause for a second year, KES, also known as KES THE BAND, said it “reached outside the box to create a record that would pull listeners deep into the Caribbean, no matter where they find themselves in the world.”

“I wanted to transport you to a place where, even if you’ve never been to the islands before, you would feel like you are there,” said KES frontman, Kees Diefenthaller, also known as KES. “The Caribbean is a melting pot of cultures and people together in this beautiful place, and this song captures all of these vibes.”

In spite of the pandemic, Diefenthaller said the last two years have brought a string of highlights for KES.

In 2020, the band debuted on US TV on Late Night with Steven Colbert, and a return to the States for its first tour dates in over two years.

In August 2020, KES released the live album, “We Home” (Ineffable Records), a project which earned it plaudits in outlets, ranging from Essence to The FADER.

The band has also organized a run of virtual concerts that have aired live on TV across the Caribbean and streamed worldwide on YouTube, timed to key dates on Trinidad & Tobago’s cultural calendar.

KES said fans can look out for the next of these on Feb. 22.