It would have been easy to keep running in the same direction.

On the strength of their riffy, hard rock-heavy EP More, SOKOJO earned the #1 slot on Live and Amplified’s “10 LA Bands to Look Out For” and packed crowds at local venues like The Viper Room and Harvard & Stone, as well as on a popular 2022 West Coast tour through California, Oregon, and Washington.

SOKOJO is forging a new path, taking bold sonic leaps, channeling indie, art-rock, and post-punk bands such as Foals, Yard Act, and Nothing But Thieves with ethereal atmospherics, textured synths, and rock guitars layered onto grooves bursting with immediacy.

Singles from this second chapter include plaintive CLANDESTINE, groove-driven earworm SILHOUETTE, electro-ballad THE GARDENS, and post-punky I.A.T.M. (It’s About the Money).

It all started in 2019, when lightning struck. Unbeknownst to the band, French-American rockers Yard of Blondes (“Murderology”, “Do You Need More”) were at the same Los Angeles rehearsal studio.

Hearing SOKOJO through the wall between their rooms and liking what he heard, Blondes guitarist Burak Yerebakan walked in with a proposition. Yard of Blondes were headlining at The Viper Room the following night, and the opening act had canceled hours ago. Were SOKOJO interested in stepping in?

SOKOJO played their first show 24 hours later, already living the dreams of bands around the world.

When the COVID-19 crisis wiped out a planned spring 2020 tour, the band turned its focus to the studio. With Burak now at the helm as their producer, the band entered LA mega-studio Big Bad Sound (Weezer, Rancid, LA Guns) to start recording what would become their debut EP More.

In 2021 and 2022, the band released this collection of seven songs, including music videos for riffy stomper MORE and the dance-punk favorite KEEPS ME GOING, which quickly amassed more than 20,000 views on YouTube. Wistful, organ-backed ballad AGAIN? Also emerged as a fan favorite, both live and on Spotify. SOKOJO performed the EP on a 2022 tour, with dates in California, Oregon, and Washington.