Nubiyan Twist and Bootie Brown – Red Herring

Nubiyan Twist bring in The Pharcyde’s Bootie Brown for “Red Herring”, and it’s exactly the kind of unexpected collaboration that makes sense once you hear it. The hip-hop infused future-soul track tackles deception and misdirection, arriving ahead of their fifth album “Chasing Shadows” (March 2026 via Strut).

The nine-piece ensemble builds this dense, off-kilter groove that keeps shifting underneath Brown’s verses. It’s the sweet spot between electronic experimentation and live band energy, the kind of sound that makes you want to rewind and catch everything you missed the first time through.

Brown’s verses hit hard because they’re personal. He traces that gut-punch moment when you realise someone wasn’t who they claimed to be, moving from casual conversation to the sharp sting of seeing through the bullshit. Lines about relationships that “died on the honeymoon” and evidence being “sanitized” capture that specific numbness when trust collapses. You’ve probably felt it.

The track came together in a hotel room during Damon Albarn’s Africa Express tour through Mexico. Excell and Brown bonded over shared projects between shows, and when Excell sent over the idea, Brown knew it would work immediately. That spontaneous energy shows in the final track.

“Red Herring” works on multiple levels. Sure, it’s about personal betrayal, but it’s also a commentary on how we’re constantly misdirected, whether by people close to us or by algorithms that feed us reality. It’s a refusal to buy into carefully constructed narratives, which feels increasingly necessary.

“Chasing Shadows” continues Nubiyan Twist’s approach of blending virtuosic jazz musicianship with hip-hop, afrobeat, and electronic production. They’re building a sound that refuses to sit still, bringing in collaborators from across genres and creating music that actually moves.