The King of Misery

Daudi Matsiko, a British-Ugandan singer-songwriter, delivers a debut album from a vulnerable chapter in his life, that expands what is already a catalogue of transparent and raw storytelling. Full of beautifully arranged strings, horns and wind instruments, the album is subtle and potent. On the title-track, which tackles mental health and his associated bipolar disorder, Matsiko sings ‘If I have to wear you on my sleeve again, I’ll get undressed.’ It’s an album best summarised as a personal de-robing from the cloak of melancholy. The track ‘I am Grateful for My Friends’ is the quiet and subtle folk banger we didn’t know we needed. With Matsiko’s refined and artful songwriting sensibilities, along with a mastery of space and time interweaved with simple yet complex guitar and melodic lines, The King of Misery is a sonic masterclass in unfiltered humanity.