Kero Kero Bonito Consider the Climate Apocalypse on “When the Fires Come”

The bubbly British trio Kero Kero Bonito are getting serious with their dystopian new single, “When the Fires Come”—the first preview of a new project to follow 2018’s Time ‘n’ Place. Their last release, February’s “The Open Road,” was a jaunty, twinkling ode to the joys and tribulations of tour—seeing the mountains; narrowly avoiding fatal car accidents; and having all your stuff stolen in a city you’ve never been before. On “When the Fires Come,” KKB turn their attention to our ailing earth, with lyrics inspired by the recent rash of fires devastating the Amazon rainforest. “No one will be left here to remember us when the fires come,” warns vocalist Sarah Midori Perry, as an angry “pillar of smoke reaches over to strangle the land.”

The accompanying video depicts a serenely smiling Perry and her producer-bandmates Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled wandering through rainforests and deserts, combing Wall-E-style through the rubble. “When the Fires Come” is an admirable attempt to raise awareness, but any further message is muddled. The track is one of their slowest yet, sounding dreamy and synthy as ever, but far more subdued. “‘When the Fires Come’ is about the worldwide wildfires heralding the seemingly imminent climate change apocalypse,” KKB share in a statement. “It was partially inspired by our experience on tour in North California last year, when we got caught underneath the smoke cloud from the Camp Fire. The video was shot on the hottest day of 2019 in Britain.” Given the track’s matter-of-fact title, it’s not quite a call to action: The fires are coming; it’s just a matter of when. Maybe all we can do until then is dance.

Watch “When the Fires Come” (dir. James Hankins) and check out the full slate of the band’s North American tour dates in October and November below.