Following the announcement of their ninth album, Act IIII, and a huge 2026 headline slot at London’s Finsbury Park, Leicester rockers Kasabian have dropped their latest track ‘Hippie Sunshine.’
Fusing grungy vocals, Prodigy-esque electronic elements, and gritty guitars, Kasabian have stunned fans with their new material. Managing to retain their classic sound without producing the same old music, the new single is both unmistakably their sound and entirely new in style and sound.
Kicking off with a distorted riff the band begins with every ounce of the attitude and bite they are known for, with frontman Serge Pizzorno declaring that he is “a loner, (he’s) alone / and that’s the way (he) like(s) it.” This seems to be the theme of the track, combatting society and the expectation to be toned down and keep to yourself. As the band put it themselves in an interview with Radio X: “Hippie Sunshine is about the restless energy of hyper individuals who struggle to slow down and face reality, searching instead for the illusion of escape.”
The verses of the single contrast eachother wonderfully, emphasising impulsivity and hyperactivity in equal amounts. Admissions of erratic behaviour: taking L.S.D; being “up all night with the freaks in the bars”; and watching “the city wake up”, contrast directly with the consistent insistence that Pizzorno is in-fact a “loner.”
With this track the band have aimed to capture the unique feeling of recklessness and relentless energy, and have done so perfectly. Not only do the four-piece shout about the highs, but also the lows: the consequences of that impulsivity – which the band describe as “both beautiful and tragic.”
Suddenly stepping back from the screaming FX and thudding drumkit, Pizzorno and the rest of the band dive into a more lilting bridge. Describing the comedown of that reckless adrenaline high to be similar to “rocks sliding down on (him)”, Kasabian fearlessly explore the other side of the story just as much.
The relevance of this track could not be more potent at this time either, with the emphasis on a constant need for stimulation being starkly reflective of people online who are becoming increasingly disconnected from the real world as each month passes by.
While the track might disappoint fans who wanted a repeat of the “glory days” of ‘Club Foot’, ‘Fire’, and ‘LSF’, there is no doubt that the rockers still have it. Packing punch and power into their tracks two decades on from their breakthrough self-titled debut, there is no questioning the band’s persistent popularity.
The rest of the album remains a mystery, but if it can fill the rest of the tracks with as much gusto as the first single there is no doubt it will quickly become a modern classic.
Words by George Connell
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