Mercury Prize-Nominated Moses Boyd Releases Soaring Single “More To Life” Ft. SHANTÉH
Mercury Prize-shortlisted, MOBO Award-winning drummer, composer and producer Moses Boyd shares “More To Life”, the third preview from his forthcoming album Songs For Sinners, an ambitious and deeply personal collection out on vinyl, CD and digitally October 30 via Exodus. A vivid exploration of the duality of faith and the push-and-pull that accompanies a lifelong search for answers, “More To Life” is driven by the restless pulse of classic Drum & Bass, with London-based alternative gospel singer SHANTÉH bringing a soaring vocal that takes the song to exhilarating new heights.
Speaking about the track, Boyd notes: “‘More To Life’ was the first song I fully composed for this album, and my first attempt at writing lyrics. I was trying to bring a few things together — bridging breakbeat rhythms and jazz forms while also capturing the energy of gospel music. I wanted the lyrics to leave space for different interpretations, reflecting the push and pull of faith and the questions that come with it, rather than offering any fixed answers. Shantéh brought her whole heart and power to the song, and in just a couple of takes, made the whole thing come alive.
The new album Songs For Sinners was announced last month alongside lead single “Criticise” ft. Amber-Simone, which The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis described as a “potent slice of 21st-century soul”. It followed the ecstatic “Say Yeah”, which received A-list playlist support from BBC 6 Music and Jazz FM, alongside a wave of worldwide radio support.
His first album in six years, Songs For Sinners is the record Boyd has been building towards since he first discovered music. A deeply personal body of work, it explores the tensions of faith as something profoundly human. A force capable of comforting, dividing, unsettling and restoring in equal measure. Across an ambitious, vocal-led collection that fuses gospel, jazz, Caribbean rhythms, 808s and soaring choir harmonies, Boyd expands the language of contemporary jazz into something entirely his own. It’s a record that draws from the church he grew up in, the London soundsystem culture that shaped him, and the freedom of improvisation, asking what sacred music can sound like when it’s no longer confined by convention.
Already regarded as one of the UK’s most innovative musical voices, Boyd has spent the past decade redefining the possibilities of jazz. Since his breakthrough with Rye Lane Shuffle and the critically acclaimed, Mercury Prize-shortlisted Dark Matter, he’s established himself as one of British music’s most singular artists, collaborating across genres while continually pushing his own sound forward. Released in 2020, Dark Matter was lauded by NPR as “captivating…a jazz-infused musical atmosphere of peace” while the New York Times called the album “remarkable” and praised Boyd’s “cross-stitched, Tony Allen-influenced patterns” and “rich pastiche of electroacoustic textures.” Songs For Sinners feels both like a return and a bold new chapter, re-establishing Boyd as a virtuosic drummer and accomplished songwriter.
To date, Boyd’s numerous live and studio collaborations include touring with Sampha and Kelsey Lu, drumming on Sons of Kemet’s Mercury Prize-nominated album Your Queen Is a Reptile, working with South African Gqom king DJ Lag (on a track that made it onto Beyonce’s official soundtrack for The Lion King), producing Zara McFarlane’s Arise for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label, and collaborating with Obongjayar, Alewya, Lonnie Liston Smith, Little Simz and Four Tet. He has produced original scores for Louis Vuitton and Grace Wales Bonner, and co-leads Binker and Moses with saxophonist Binker Golding.
Following the release of Songs For Sinners, Moses Boyd will take the new record on the road with a packed run of live dates next spring, including London’s Koko on April 1, 2027. Full tour dates are listed below, and tickets are on sale now: https://www.mosesboyd.co.uk/#
Moses Boyd: Songs For Sinners
Tracklist:
1. Precious
2. War Ft. Raelle
3. More To Life Ft. SHANTÉH
4. Say Yeah
5. Saviour
6. Criticise Ft. Amber-Simone
7. Praise
8. Guess I’ll Be Alright
9. I Surrender All (Interlude)
10. I Surrender
11. It Is Well
12. I Believe
Moses Boyd Tour Dates
20 Mar 2027 – Berlin, Germany @ Säälchen
21 Mar 2027 – Cologne, Germany @ Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld
23 Mar 2027 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Tolhuistuin
24 Mar 2027 – Brussels, Belgium @ Le Botanique
25 Mar 2027 – Paris, France @ La Bellevilloise
27 Mar 2027 – Leeds, United Kingdom @ Belgrave Music Hall
28 Mar 2027 – Manchester, United Kingdom @ Band On The Wall
30 Mar 2027 – Bristol, United Kingdom @ Thekla
31 Mar 2027 – Brighton, United Kingdom @ Concorde2
1 Apr 2027 – London, United Kingdom @ KOKO