Sofia Kourtesis has announced her new EP ‘Fresia Magdalena’ – you can hear the track ‘La Perla’ below.

Set for release on March 19 via the Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour, the Berlin-based Peruvian artist’s new release follows on from her breakout February 2020 EP ‘Sarita Colonia’.

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Speaking about ‘La Perla’, which you can hear below, Kourtesis said: “Although I’ve sampled my own voice before, this is the first time I’ve really sung on a track. My dream is to develop a live show and I created ‘La Perla’ with that in mind.

“‘La Perla’ is about staring at the sea, It’s the first thing I’ll do when I return to Peru. My dad used to say staring at the sea is like meditation, it clears your head. This song is for him. It’s hard for me to listen to ‘La Perla’ as it wrote it during a time I lost my dad to leukaemia. This song is for him, descansa en paz papa.”

‘Fresia Magdalena’ was recorded in both Lima, Peru (where Kourtesis’ family currently live) and Berlin, with the EP featuring a collection of field recordings which Kourtesis made while visiting Lima.

“Fresia is my mother’s name: her whole life she’s fought hard for the people of Magdalena, Peru,” Kourtesis explained about the significance behind the EP’s title. “This is my tribute to her and the other activists around the world working hard to better the lives of others. We as musicians have a responsibility to help our communities to have their voices heard, changes are needed.”

You can see the tracklist for Sofia Kourtesis’ ‘Fresia Magdalena’ EP below.

1. La Perla
2. By Your Side
3. Nicolas
4. Dakotas
5. Juntos

Writing in praise of Kourtesis in this year’s NME 100, NME‘s Ben Jolley wrote: “The tinkering audiophile turns unusual samples and sounds from her habitat into fuzzy dancefloor-ready house diamonds.

“The distinctive drum-led percussion of ‘Sarita Colonia’ and ‘Akariku’ (from her second squelchy house EP for Studio Barnhus) even led to her first crossover moment when she remixed Georgia‘s ’24 Hours’.”