KONGOS

Globe-trotting alt rock outfit Kongos formed in 2007 around the talents of siblings Dylan, Daniel, Jesse, and Johnny Kongos, the sons of popular South African singer/songwriter John Kongos, who scored a Top Ten single in 1971 with “He’s Gonna Step on You Again,” which served as the basis for the 1990 Happy Mondays’ hit “Step On.” Based out of Phoenix, Arizona and sharing influences as diverse as Wire, Coldplay, Tinariwen, Dire Straits, the Prodigy, and Miles Davis, the quartet specialize in driving, arena-ready alt rock in the vein of Muse, the Boxer Rebellion, and Kings of Leon that’s infused with the polyrhythmic cadences of their South African upbringing. They released their eponymous debut album in 2007, followed by the platinum-selling Lunatic in 2012, the latter of which spawned the hit singles “I’m Only Joking” and the Soweto-tinged “Come with Me Now.” The band’s third studio long-player, Egomaniac, dropped in June 2016 and featured the singles “Take It from Me” and “I Don’t Mind.” ~ James Christopher Monger