Since breaking out with their 2018 track Abusey Junction, London jazz collective Kokoroko have become known for a soothing brand of improvised instrumentals. Blending whispered melodies with muted horns, downtempo hand percussion and shades of highlife guitar, theirs is an easygoing, ruminative sound. Their 2022 debut album, Could We Be More, continued in the same vein, full of warm brass and gently layered vocal harmony.

So does their latest effort, Tuff Times Never Last. Across its 11 tracks of , tempos rarely exceed 100bpm, wallowing in tranquil bass lines and languorous grooves. The group establish a confident and comforting tone, playing through the lullaby vocal harmonies of Never Lost, the slowed guitar of Closer to Me and Rhodes piano reverberations on My Father in Heaven.

There are shades of difference: the second half of the Afrobeat-influenced Sweetie brings in interweaving horn solos from trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey and trombonist Anoushka Nanguy, finding brief moments of lively counterpoint before dissolving into silence. Idea 5 veers into sultry R&B thanks to featured vocalist Lulu, and Da Du Dah plays like a sun-kissed piece of 80s Brit funk.

These are engaging side steps, yet they fail to fully break free from the placid Kokoroko soundworld. Tuff Times can feel all too soft and tender, with any moments of difference swallowed by dynamic similarities. It’s ideal for anyone wanting to tune in and clock out, but lacks the brave burst of energy to really grab your attention.