Rina Mushonga - 'For A Fool'

Dutch-Zimbabwean pop innovator Rina Mushonga releases new heartache song  ‘For A Fool ‘, taken from her upcoming album, ‘In A Galaxy’ out on 15th February through [PIAS] Recordings.

Rina Mushonga has a very keen ear for creating fundamentally effervescent songs that often have a brooding edge to them, yet her music leaves her listener feeling excited and energised instead of defeated and deflated. ‘For A Fool’ is taken from Rina’s upcoming second album ‘In A Galaxy’ which she has worked on with producer Brett Shaw and Frans Verburg. Having had a sneaky advanced listen of the LP, this is actually my favourite song out of a very diverse and impressive collection of tracks.

From its upbeat, swirling and bubbly intro, ‘For A Fool’ is a captivating, dramatic and intricately woven blend of Rina’s trademark afro pop and 80s synth pop influences. Rina’s music always reminds me of the process of watching someone splatter vibrant shades of paint onto a bare canvas. That’s not to say the song is messy in its execution, just nothing is ever too fixed ,but each sonic texture is launched into the soundscape with a precise aim, offering a fresh and dynamic listening experience.

While there’s always so much to admire about the sonic landscape of a Rina Mushonga song, Rina’s rich vocal is equally as captivating and fully capable of driving her songs; in this instance, through atmospheric breathy bursts of passionate storytelling. ‘For A Fool’ is a track that Rina worked on for quite a while and
explains it is, “in parts fictional in others less so… in a way it chronicles a betrayed lover tormented by the desire to trust again whilst acknowledging that everything has been tainted and can’t go back to how they were”.

By not scrimping on emotional depth as well as being sonically spectacular, ‘For A Fool’ is an experimental pop track with both visceral and cerebral appeal that puts a new spin on heartbreak.

Words of Karla Harris

Rina Mushonga will plays London’s Shacklewell Arms on March 19th. Tickets are on sale now and are available to purchase here.