While his eclectic 2017 EP Free was hailed as a triumph in minimalist, jazzy urban R&B, Moonga K.’s full-length debut Wild Solace finds the Joburg-based artist up the tempo to include pop, alt-rock and dance. Expanding the concept of alt-soul in exciting new ways, he reveals potent results—as in the dreamy pop of “Let Go”, its inviting dance floor rhythms layered with the Zambian-born singer’s trademark soulful vocals. There’s also sharp soul-searching throughout—the Millennial mindset is explored in “Walking Emojis” (with Tazz adding strong support), while wrong directions inevitably taken and manoeuvred are examined in “Pure Halcyon”. Moonga takes a raw, honest look at existential crises in “Incandescent”, and closes the album with “The Art of Aging”, its simple and meditative piano intro gradually opening into a soaring anthem warmed by earnest, endearingly rough-edged falsetto. The authenticity and power running through the song, and the album, demonstrates just how far this undefinable, genre-straddling singer/songwriter has grown as an artist.