UK quintet Me and My Friends return with their new album Bring Summer, an explosion of joyful, sun-drenched grooves underpinned by deeply reflective songwriting. A celebration of authenticity, the inner child and the freedom to be yourself, it's an invitation to dance as a raw, unfiltered expression of life.

Me and My Friends' sound defies easy categorisation. Highlife, folk and jazz run throughout, but the band have peppered this new album with ingredients from disco, rock, samba, gnawa and cumbia as well. Bring Summer pulses with energy, dynamism, layered harmonies and compelling storytelling. And the group incorporate their influences in a manner that feels intuitive, comforting and enveloping, like a warm embrace.

Following the meditative flow of their previous release Before I Saw The Sea (2023), the band decided to challenge themselves by creating an album designed to be danceable from start to finish, reflecting the freedom of summer months at their free-spirited and raucous live shows. There is an emotional depth set against this danceable music though. Bandleader Nick Rasle says, "I've always loved music that combines grooves that make you want to dance with a melancholy in the vocal, especially reggae and highlife. Several of our parents are now into their 80s. Within that slowing down there's a reminder to make the most of the time you have while you can."