KO KO MO: Striped (ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Back with “Stripted”, Ko Ko Mo venture into musical territory where certainties fade away to make way for exploration and emotion. Gone are the bright colors of their debut, particularly “Need Some Mo”: the black-and-white cover heralds a shift towards a sober aesthetic that reflects artistic maturity. This visual choice seems to be an invitation to plunge into the very essence of their music, stripped of all superfluity, where each note, each silence takes on a new dimension.

The duo's album is deliberately unpredictable. Between abrasive rock and electro touches, “Stripted” mixes energies and pushes the intensity cursor further than ever before. Some tracks, such as 'Wheels of Fire' (a meeting between the Doors and Led Zeppelin), distill sounds that seem to have come straight out of the 70s, without lapsing into retro. Each track asserts itself, finds its rhythm, and manages to keep that tension in balance. It's as if Ko Ko Mo wanted each song to have its own identity, its own raison d'être.

Where this new album stands out is in its bold use of sonic textures. Each track is an experience, an immersion in which the vocals melt and distort into the effects, while the guitar riffs are sometimes cutting ('On The Run' or 'Don't Let Me Go' with its Muse timbre), sometimes enveloping (the psychedelic 'Dancing Alone'). The arrangements create unexpected sonic spaces, where we can almost perceive a form of duality between intensity and restraint. Ko Ko Mo invites us on a sonic journey, on the border between the intimate and the explosive.

But “Stripted” is not just a demonstration of musical savoir-faire. Behind every note lies a desire to experiment, to go beyond the predictable without ever losing oneself in excess. The duo's aim is not to seduce through effect, but through sincerity. This is not an album designed to shine, but to resonate (as on 'Bootle For Two', which sounds very Beatles). This authenticity is expressed right down to the silences and nuances, where emotion shines through without ever being forced.

With this album, Ko Ko Mo marks a new stage in her career, embracing her choices, her influences and her flaws. “Stripted” can be felt as much as heard, as a work designed to touch as close as possible to the most visceral aspects of music. By boldly renewing themselves, the duo remind us that they are here to stay, but also and above all to thrill - without compromise.
- Official website

KO KO MO

STRIPED

PIAS

ROCK