PREMIERE: Moxie share otherworldly video for 'Kaki'

Irish alt-folk group Moxie have returned with a new video for the third single pulled from last year's The Dawn of Motion — an upbeat, bluesy pop track called 'Kaki,' which will be available tomorrow, May 27. Check out Hot Press's premiere of the song and video, below.

Imbued with rhythmic keyboard, waterfalling flute and jazz-forward vocals, 'Kaki' serves as a breezy summer anthem — an irresistible track that marries the sounds of RnB, pop and indie. Lead singer Julia Spanu's voice is in its element, dipping and weaving throughout the layered instrumentals with a bright effortlessness. Whether thick with harmony or weightless and punctuated, the song is imbued with a playful, feel-good energy that pulls the listener into Moxie's weird, wonderful world.

And the video does exactly that. Set in an unfamiliar place where the grass is purple and the sky a deep orange, it follows a lone figure as they wander the otherworldly landscape, shedding a metallic gold jacket to twirl in the alien sunshine. What we thought was one figure ends up being two, the identical explorers discovering each other with a childlike delight, running over rocky hills and lying in the scrubby grass, side-by-side. Ultimately a love-letter to oneself and the magic energy of friendship, 'Kaki's' visuals live up to the beaming optimism of the track — promising a smile by the last shot.

Named after a fruit native to Asia, 'Kaki' comes from a desire to express the closeness and chemistry that can come with really knowing someone.

"I feel deeply connected to my Asian roots through the heritage my mother gave me," Spanu explained. ‘As I grew up far away from Ireland, I was able to share my knowledge about the cultures I was surrounded with all my life with the band. They gave me this opportunity to express the symbolism of being different with the lyrics to ‘Kaki.'"

Moxie have been together since 2011, when founding members Darren Roche (accordion), Jos Kelly (accordion, keyboards), Cillian Doheny (banjo, guitar) and Ted Kelly (banjo, tenor guitars) met at The Willie Clancy Summer School. They released their debut album, Planted, in 2014 to critical acclaim. Drummer Josh Sampson joined up in 2017, followed by French singer songwriter Spanu, who is the band's most recent addition.

'Kaki' was performed for the first time on Culture Night at the Collins Barracks in Dublin, and later with the National Symphony Orchestra in the National Concert Hall. The audience reaction led them to include it on 2021's The Dawn of Motion, and now they're featuring it again — with a strangely delightful video tribute.

Check out the video for 'Kaki,' below:

Moxie will be playing a string of Irish tour dates this summer. See the full schedule, below:

3 Jun: Wild Root Festival, Sligo
5 June: SoFFt Nights 2022, Dunderry, Co. Meath
17 June: Artists Against Homelessness, feat. Moxie, Dervish, Pauline Scanlon, Honas & Seba Safe at The Model, Sligo
3 July: Hotel Doolin, Clare
9 July: Otherside Festival, Slane, Co. Meath
21 July: Monroe’s Live, Galway
22 July: Ballybunion Arts Festival, Kerry
2 Aug: Ryan Sheridan x Moxie, Ceili Picnic Fleadh Cheoil 2022
7 Aug: Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann
24 Sept: Night & Day Festival, Roscommon, Ireland