The Comet Is Coming
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Jazz, electronica, funk, psychedelic rock music |
The Comet Is Coming was a London-originated ensemble known for merging elements of jazz, electronica, funk, and psychedelic rock. Their initial contract was with The Leaf Label, under which they issued their first EP, Prophecy, as a limited edition 12" vinyl in November 2015. This was succeeded by their debut full-length album, Channel the Spirits, released in April 2016. The album received a nomination for the 2016 Mercury Prize. In 2018, the group transitioned to Impulse!.
History
The members perform under aliases: "King Shabaka" refers to saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, "Danalogue" is keyboardist Dan Leavers, and "Betamax" denotes drummer Max Hallett.
According to Hutchings, the band's name was inspired by a piece from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop that conjures sci-fi and cosmic imagery, reflecting their intent to delve into innovative sonic landscapes and defy traditional musical boundaries.
Betamax recounted their origins: initially, he and Danalogue collaborated as Soccer96—a duo combining psychedelic electronic synths with live drumming—before King Shabaka joined on saxophone. They swiftly laid down several hours of improvised tracks over a three-day session at Total Refreshment Centre studios, without any pre-composed material.
Their visual identity heavily incorporates themes of outer space, science fiction, and B-movie aesthetics, as showcased in videos like "Neon Baby" and "Do the Milky Way." Often regarded as successors to cosmic jazz innovator Sun Ra, they blend jazz, Afrobeat, and electronica into an improvisational soundscape with interstellar qualities. King Shabaka emphasized their development of mythic frameworks inspired by Sun Ra’s ideology, symbolized by the crystal depicted on the cover of their Prophecy EP.
Following the Mercury Prize nod for Channel the Spirits, the band was awarded the Momentum Music Fund by PRS for Music in January 2017. In April that year, they released the Death to the Planet EP through The Leaf Label as part of Record Store Day celebrations.
Their sophomore album, Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (March 2019), attracted widespread critical praise. Reviews highlighted influences from Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane while underscoring the group’s innovative jazz interpretations. Pitchfork assigned a score of 7.8/10, describing it as an amalgamation of ambient textures, spoken word, and grime elements. On Metacritic, it holds an aggregate score of 83, signifying universal acclaim.
In April 2023, the band performed at the 22nd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and later appeared on Glastonbury Festival’s Park stage in June 2023. A final concert scheduled for October 2023 in Bratislava was canceled in protest with Palestinians amid ongoing conflict.
Band members
- Danalogue – keyboards, synthesizers, programming, percussion
- Betamax – drums, percussion, synthesizers
- King Shabaka – saxophones
Albums
- Channel the Spirits (2016, The Leaf Label)
- Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (2019, Impulse!)
- Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam (2022, Impulse!)
EPs
- Prophecy (2015)
- Death to the Planet (2017)
- The Afterlife (2019, Impulse!)
Singles
- "Neon Baby" (2015)
- "Do the Milky Way" (2015)
- "Space Carnival" (2016)
- "Final Eclipse" (2017)
- "Summon the Fire" (2019)
- "Unity" (2019)
- "Lifeforce Part II" (2019)
- "Imminent" (2020)
Awards and nominations
| Award Event | Year | Title | Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Music Video Awards | 2023 | TECHNICOLOUR | Best Editor | Nominated |