MF Robots – III (Part One) (2026)
MF Robots have taken their time with the first full-length release since 2021’s Break The Wall. It is clear that on III (Part One), every note has been painstakingly chosen. Everything has its own place. This is an album gushing with positivity that provides welcome relief from these uncertain times.
The duo, consisting of Dawn Joseph and Jan Kincaid, formed MF Robots a decade ago. Both were part of The Brand New Heavies (Jan being a founder member). The band were pioneers of the acid jazz movement. Kincaid, in particular, had begun to stagnate in The Heavies, so he decided to leave and take Joseph with him.
The album’s euphoric opener, ‘That’s The Way’, has the kind of feel-good vibes that flow through this whole release. It has a great tempo to it. Joseph possesses a rich, powerful, soulful voice. The rallying cry of “Don’t do it for money / Do it for love” sounds like vintage 70s soul.
‘Children Of The World’ was one of the fantastic singles that generated excitement for this album. This one particularly smacks of acid jazz; it is very Jamiroquai. It has the shouty sassy chorus of: “We gonna break this party out / We just need a beat / Come on now’!” This was inspired by the kind of music that this duo loves.
‘The Pressure’ is pure 70s funk over a hip-hop beat with strong bass and synths. We’re treated to a gorgeous electric guitar break. There is a taste of summer with ‘Glide’, which opens with a lush acoustic guitar. It contains a standout lyric from the album in “Serendipity is what you get if you can pass the test / Baby, you be positive and love will do the rest“.
It’s quite apparent that the duo have been relishing this album release. Joseph explains, “This is definitely our best album to date in terms of how it has been constructed. It is a real concept piece. We took our time deliberately“. ‘Lay It Back’ has another dazzling bassline paired with unbelievable harmonies.
The joyous ‘Hello Sunshine’ was the first single from the album, and it is dripping with nostalgic synths and soft flutes. It has lovely backing vocals from Kincaid: “Keep smiling / You put a smile on my face.” Quality-wise, this album does not dip at all. ‘Thru The Pain’ is another delightful uptempo number.
The album’s closer and possibly the strongest track on this collection, ‘Show Us The Way’, is a seven-minute spectacular. It has an awesome rhythm paired with insane keys. It sounds like Earth, Wind & Fire at their best. The instrumentation on III (Part One) is outstanding, but particularly on this one. It is an ode to the wonder of the natural world and how we have collectively neglected and abused our place in it.
III (Part One) really is a case of all killer, no filler. It’s almost like a Greatest Hits album. The overall quality of this makes it very hard to pick out individual highlights. Kincaid sums up the objective of MF Robots as: “We’re not making musical snacks here, we want you to keep coming back to consume our songs because they mean something to you.“
Heart and soul went into this album, and it shows.
Learn more about MF Robots on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify and TikTok.
