Public Notice is an artiste’s undertaking to prove his dexterity as a musician able to thrive as a solo act and as part of a musical group.
By Frank Njugi
Stepping into the limelight during the COVID-19 pandemic, the musical trio, Shwento, comprised of Agaba Collins, Bowman Aremwaki, and Simbaraishe Goodson, established itself as a notable ensemble of Afro-Pop performers with the release of their eponymous maiden project, Shwento 2020 EP. With their follow-up projects, Shwento 2020 (Deluxe Edition), and Shwento 2023, the trio further cemented their reputation as textbook Pop musicians of the Ugandan New Age. A sound which draws a heavy influence from Ragga and uses reggaetón-like beats in most songs — a sound majorly visible in Kindandali music, which is Uganda’s iteration of Afrobeats.
The trio has also made independent projects, putting away any incredulity that they can only succeed as a music collective. Collins, who also goes by the artistic name Agaba Banjo, is known for EPs such as Ankole Inversion and Ishanyu, both released in 2023. Most recently, Aremwaki tried to mirror Banjo’s endeavours, releasing a five-track EP titled Public Notice. The EP, which has a runtime of exactly fifteen minutes, is an artiste’s undertaking to prove his dexterity as a musician able to thrive as a solo act and as part of a musical group.
Aremwaki kicks off Public Notice with “Wait”, a track with a complex jazzy rhythm which establishes early on to a listener that the song is anchored in Afrobeats influences. The chorus “I don’t want to wait till the end of time…” could easily become an anthemic sing-a-long verse, with its infectious melody. It has the potential to become a hit track. Aremwaki shifts between delivering his lyrics in his accented English and Luganda, harkening further to another Afrobeats prerogative of incorporating slang from African languages to give the music some authenticity.
The second track, “Mumbai”, has spellbinding romantic lyrics, as Aremwaki makes this a narrative ballad describing potential adventures with a lover. The song’s beat has a heightened percussion rhythm to it, which works really well with the constant shift in the language of lyrical delivery that the artiste carries on from the first song. Some syncopation is also incorporated throughout “Mumbai”, which alongside stunning background orchestration, brings some pizzazz to the track.
“Wanchekeche” the third song, sees Aremwaki borrow heavily from Dancehall’s lyrical delivery as he constantly uses Jamaican Patois phrases and employs lexicons known to be staples in Dancehall music. He also employs a Dancehall-like song structure of a repeated chorus, heavily melodic tune and hook. However, the beat is mid-tempo, sonically exhibiting some form of prospection from instrumental reggae.
The penultimate track “Et Cetera” is slow-flowing, with lyrics that seem to shapeshift from being heavily raunchy to ones that describe a euphoric love affair. This unpredictability depraves the song of quality, making a listener feel short-changed. The only strong aspect in “Et Cetera” is in Aremwaki’s vocals which throughout the EP are melodious and pleasing to the ear.
“Akapesha”, the last song on the EP, exhibits slick romantic catharsis, with lyrics — which are mostly in Luganda — describing the conflicting belief two lovers have; one party brave enough to proclaim his love life to all and sundry, the other not so willing to voice out their feelings. The piano-propelled tempo that the track displays throughout gives an intensely pleasurable ending to Public Notice.
In recent times, Ugandan music has displayed intimations of having a renaissance, with the exploits of artistes such as Azawi, Joshua Baraka, and Eddy Kenzo fueling the belief that a new generation of artistes from the ‘The Pearl of Africa’ can restore the glory that Ugandan music once had with the endeavours of legendary artistes such as Jose Chameleone, Bobi Wine, Juliana Kanyomozi, and other veteran East African music acts.
At present, up-and-coming acts, such as the Shwento trio, are playing a part in the process of restoring Ugandan music to where it once was. Bowman Aremwaki, as part of Shwento and a new generation whose unique blend of music doesn’t conform to genre restrictions, represent young Ugandan artistes who are currently proving that the Ugandan sound is still alive and in good hands.
Lyricism — 1.2
Tracklisting — 1.3
Sound Engineering — 1.7
Vocalisation — 1.6
Listening Experience — 1.4
Rating — 7.2 / 10
Frank Njugi is a Kenyan Writer, Culture journalist and Critic who has written on the Kenyan and East African culture scene for platforms such as Debunk Media, Sinema Focus, Culture Africa, Wakilisha Africa, The Moveee, Africa in Dialogue, Afrocritik and many others. He tweets as @franknjugi.