We Speak Afrobeats

Cruel Santino Releases Third Album ‘K.O.T.B – The Bomberman Chronicles’

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2026

Cruel Santino in a dark leather jacket standing on a street at dusk, his long dreadlocks over his shoulders.

Cruel Santino returns with his third album, a world-building record that turns grief and community into the next chapter of his Subaru Boys universe. K.O.T.B – The Bomberman Chronicles, also titled Kings of the Bounce, arrives via Native Records and Warner Records with some of his most personal writing set against his most visceral production yet.

LISTEN: cruelsantino.lnk.to/KOTB

“It was obvious that Santi was going to be a star”
British GQ

“Cruel Santino is building worlds and melding cultures”
Rolling Stone

“A rumbling record that would kill as a backtrack to a video game”
The FADER

Known for treating every release as a fully realized world rather than simply a collection of songs, Cruel Santino once again expands the boundaries of contemporary African music with the release of his new album K.O.T.B – The Bomberman Chronicles.

While Santino’s new album further fleshes out the Subaru Boys world, it’s even more so a deeply personal excavation of Santino’s interior life. That doesn’t mean it’s heavy: the weight of some of his most vulnerable songwriting to date sits under some of his most visceral production yet, where orchestral flourishes meet timeless grooves, sweeping synths, and drums that race like adrenalized heartbeats. In texture, Kings of the Bounce is where Final Heaven meets Mandy & the Jungle, a place where any listener can tap into the frequency that best suits them, be it one of triumph, thrill, or grief.

Grief was central to Santino in the making of KOTB, as he worked through the sudden death of a close friend with whom he lived as he nurtured his craft growing up. Set 3000 years before the Final Heaven arc, KOTB follows well-marketed arms dealers aimed at destroying the sea creatures before the humans knew to live in harmony with them. In the shadowy world of intelligence and warfare, alliances shift and relationships become ephemeral, much like they do in death. As Santino processed his own experiences with safety, community, commodification, and trying to lead a life of purpose as a young Nigerian, he poured his reflections into the sound and storyline. The name Kings of the Bounce doubles as that of a new, highly coveted series of weapons in the plot and a sly reference to the status of Santino and his collaborators’ distinct, real world rhythms.

Cruel Santino blends genre and visual storytelling into a singular creative vision with K.O.T.B – The Bomberman Chronicles. The album follows Cruel Santino’s latest singles “Big Drop”, “International Collector” and “Oz,” which are all included on the new record. The singles pair Santino’s understated melodic delivery with atmospheric production and fluid percussion, reflecting the global perspective that has long defined his artistry. With K.O.T.B – The Bomberman Chronicles, Cruel Santino continues to push beyond conventional genre boundaries, building an expansive creative universe where music and mythology intersect.

Listen to K.O.T.B – The Bomberman Chronicles above.

About Cruel Santino

Cruel Santino’s highly-anticipated third album, Kings of the Bounce: The Bomberman Chronicles, expands his Subaru Boys world and excavates the alté leader’s interior life in some of his most personal work yet. Taking on themes of safety, community, commodification, and grief, KOTB crystallizes Santino’s signature sound, style, and storytelling. While he himself is reluctant to lean too heavily into the “pioneer” label, let us do it for him: this new era is a testament to his innovation, evolution, and waymaking.

Mawelele Steps Into His Moment With New Album PGLTM and a First South African Tour

Published

2 weeks ago

November 1, 2026

We Speak Media

Mawelele. Photo via @mawelele_.

South African singer, songwriter and pianist Mawelele has released his new album PGLTM, short for Pretty Girls Listen To Mawelele, through gamma. The 16 track project arrived on October 30, 2026, and it is built around love, reassurance, forgiveness and second chances, blending soulful R&B and Afro pop with the heartfelt writing that has carried his rise.

The album brings together a strong cast of collaborators, including Olivetheboy, Kwesta, Danya Devs, Nomfundo Moh, Ndu Browns, Tony Dayimane, Usimamane and Empro. Its engine is Ngiyaz’fela, his single with Kwesta, which reached No. 3 on the Radio Monitor Top 100 Airplay Chart. The title translates to I am in love with you, and its music video passed one million views within four days of release and has since climbed to 1.7 million. The pair’s earlier collaboration, All My Life, has passed 4.1 million streams on Apple Music, 19.7 million on Spotify and 23 million views on YouTube. Ahead of the release, Mawelele hosted an exclusive listening session in Sandton, giving media and invited guests a first listen to the record.

Born Ntokozo Wandile Mawelele in 2002 and raised in the Vaal, he began playing piano at 11 and built his first audience through cover videos posted during lockdown. That path led to a signing with Umuthi Records, the label associated with Blaq Diamond, and his catalogue has now passed 100 million cumulative streams. The album will also meet the stage. gamma., in partnership with Blu Blood, is producing his first South African live tour, opening December 17, 2026 at the iZulu Theatre, Sibaya Casino in Durban, with a Johannesburg date in December and further shows across the country over Valentine’s weekend in 2027. Merchandise is also on the way, giving fans another way into the PGLTM world.