Not a Luxury is a neo-afro-blues band from Denver, Colorado, who will be releasing their debut album Follow the Thread on August 8th.

The five-member band combines modern instrumentation (guitar, bass, keys and drum kit) with traditional west-African percussion (djembe, dun duns, bell, sekere) in compositions that center groove, poly-rhythmic exploration, and rich vocal harmonies. All five band members have been studying West African percussion with band member Koffi Toudji for years at the historic Cleo Parker Robinson Studios in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.

Not a Luxury’s debut concept album, Follow the Thread, alludes to Stephanie McCarter’s more accurate, feminist translations of the Greek Metamorphoses. Originally, Theseus entered a labyrinth to find and battle the monstrous minotaur, leaving a thread behind him to find his way back out. Not a Luxury’s album tells a parallel story of a protagonist who feels crushed under the pressures of a dehumanizing society that demands that we work to survive.

Recorded in Denver’s legendary Mighty Fine Production studios, the album’s production team includes Loren Dorland and Recording Academy Professional, Anna Frick.

Follow The Thread will be available everywhere August 8th, with a release party on Saturday, August 9th, with performances by Koffi Togo Vibes and mud & marrow at Manos Sagrados in the Aurora Cultural Arts District.