The West London trio have returned with brand new visuals for ‘Mama Stay’, thus marking the official beginning of WSTRN Season. Having not released any music since the turn of the year, the group have had a quiet start to 2021, something that looks like it is going to change after this recent release.
Specialising in a Caribbean-inspired brand of R&B that is perfect for summer, WSTRN have a history of capturing the atmosphere of the warmer seasons through their sound. Their breakout hit ‘In2’ dominated British radio stations and clubs during the summer of 2015, whilst more recent hits such as ‘Medusa’ in 2019 and ‘Wag1’ in 2020 have continued this seasonal trend.
As a track that is driven by afroswing rhythms mixed with soulful production, ‘Mama Stay’ is cut from the same cloth as their previous hits. Colourful guitar and saxophone samples are complemented by a vibrant and dynamic music video, in which dancers take centre stage to draw out the carnivalesque vibes of the track. As is typical of most WSTRN songs, Haile’s flawless vocals feature on the chorus whilst Louis Rei and Akelle’s charismatic verses blend elements of rap and melody.
However, this three-way combination has not always been a feature of WSTRN’s music. A large but unfortunate part of the trio’s journey was when they were reduced to only two members. From July 2017 to November 2019, Akelle served a prison sentence whilst Haile and Louis Rei continued to build the group’s profile and release music under the moniker of ‘WSTRN’. Speaking about this difficult two-year period himself in an interview with Capital XTRA, Akelle said, “They [Haile and Rei] stuck by me, they kept it going. Not a lot of people can say that, especially groups, but we’re not a manufactured group, we’re a family.”
Although all three artists have had various respective solo features in recent years, especially Haile who is frequently enlisted to sing hooks by other British artists, the chemistry between the collective is unparalleled. ‘Mama Stay’ offers a prime example of this; the trio’s delight at being back together again is tangibly evident throughout the playful accompanying visuals of the track.
Given that the release of ‘Mama Stay’ follows on from the group announcing that “WSTRN Season starts Thursday” on both Twitter and Instagram, it looks like the track will be part of a string of singles leading up to and through the summer period. In turn, the London-based trio are poised to provide the sound for, what will hopefully be, a festive summer free of COVID-induced social restrictions in 2021.
Check out the music video for ‘Mama Stay’ Below:
