‘Desperate Times, Mediocre Measures’ is the new single and video from L.A Salami. The first taste of new music from the Londoner since 2020’s album ‘The Cause of Doubt and Reason to Have Faith’, it arrives alongside the announcement of L.A Salami’s fourth album ‘Ottoline’, set for release on 30th September, via Sunday Best Recordings.
The single and its brilliant video tackle the “cyclical and corrosive nature of power structures across our societies” and the inevitable impact that has on our day to day lives and decision-making processes. Ultimately, the song encourages people to build change from a place of love and positivity, rather than out of fear. This inquisitive, intellectual approach is evident throughout Ottoline, an album that finds an artist at the top of his game, forgoing all genre-based boundaries whilst looking at, documenting and evaluating the world around him from a truly unique creative perspective.
L.A Salami’s journey of self-discovery is one that extends far beyond music. Born Lookman Adekunle Salami in Peckham, to a Nigerian mother and absent father, various circumstances meant he spent the first few years of his childhood in a foster home. This feeling of being an outsider permeates his creative output, whether that’s music or the prints he produces alongside.
Working with a vastly expanded sonic palette, Ottoline finds Lookman looking to some of the modern titans of rap for inspiration, Kanye West, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Whereas previous releases have leant towards a more folk-lead sound, Ottoline is brimming with boundless creativity and experimentation and is certain to cement L.A Salami as one of the UK’s most fascinating independent artists.
