Rizzle Kicks tell us about returning after eight years with ‘Javelin’: “We’re rekindling our joy of creating music”
nme.comRizzle Kicks have spoken to NME about the release of their first single in eight years, ‘Javelin’, mental health and their legacy in UK rap music.Back in 2008, Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sulé formed Rizzle Kicks.
The two went on to have major success throughout the 2010s with their fresh and unique take on UK rap, blending hip-hop with pop rather than the rising grime trend of the time.They scored two UK Top 10 albums (2011’s ‘Stereo Typical’ and 2013’s ‘Roaring 20s’) and two platinum singles before taking a break from the limelight in 2016 due to Alexander-Sulé being diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder.Both Stephens and Alexander-Sulé embarked on solo careers, with the latter released music under his pseudonym Jimi Charles Moody.They both found success in acting too: Alexander-Sulé had lead roles in the crime drama Unforgotten and the 2014 film The Guv’nors, while Stephens starred in the Star Wars spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Mae Martin’s sitcom Feel Good.Eight years later, the Brighton duo are finally ready to release music again – kicking off their return with the funky and light-hearted ‘Javelin’.“We’ve been writing for a long time, maybe three or four years on this music,” Alexander-Sulé told NME. “We went through different phases and versions of what this next record should sound like, but the more we wrote together, the more natural it became.
It became clear what the sound should be, and we met in the middle somewhere. That’s what ‘Javelin’ encapsulates what we’re feeling in the moment.”Stephens said ‘Javelin’ was made while in a studio session with producers Swindle and Ant Whiting. “That day, we picked up a vibe that felt in keeping with the music we both love now,” he said.
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