From Birmingham to Cuba, Barcelona to Mexico, Now Portugal: Peyoti For President Returns with 'Your Comfort Zone'

It’s been a long road back. A full sixteen years have passed since Peyoti For President burst onto the scene with their debut Rising Tide of Conformity in 2009. That first record was met with critical acclaim, earning 5-star reviews across the board and features in major outlets like Rolling Stone and The Independent. Their credibility was cemented just two years earlier when Peyoti supported Manu Chao on a UK tour, a baptism of fire that helped define the group’s DNA: activism wrapped in irresistible rhythm.

Peyoti is a world citizen in every sense of the word. Born and raised in Birmingham, he spent formative years in Cuba during his twenties, absorbing rhythms and political fervor in equal measure. By 2011, he had made Barcelona home, diving into its eclectic scene before long stints in Mexico. Today, Portugal is where Peyoti resides, and where Your Comfort Zone was finally written and recorded. The journey reflects not just a personal odyssey, but a sonic one, each step leaving an imprint on the music’s DNA.

The seeds for the new album were planted in 2020, when a Netflix series featured one of Peyoti For President’s songs. That exposure led to a meeting with Peer Music Publishing, the world’s largest independent publisher, who floated the idea of creating an album focused on cinematic, charismatic songs for potential film placement. The concept stuck, but the execution took its own winding path.

A turning point came in Oaxaca, Mexico. In classic Peyoti style, an afternoon spent perched on a beach rock, in an altered state of consciousness, opened a floodgate of creativity.

Trumpet melodies, bass lines, and lyrics seemed to “download” themselves from the ether. Leaving the ocean, Peyoti crossed paths with a wild, laughing local named Ceci Meza, who would go on to contribute vocals and her unforgettable laugh to two tracks. Finally, he stumbled upon a graffitied wall carrying the message that would shape the album’s destiny: “Your Comfort Zone Will Kill You.”

The vision born on a Mexican beach matured over two years in the mountains of southern Portugal. Working often in isolation, Peyoti collaborated with German producer Marc Mennigmann, chiseling away until the songs became fully realized. By January 2025, the masters returned from London’s prestigious Metropolis Studios, the final seal of completion on a project that was never certain to see the light of day.

Your Comfort Zone arrives in a world teetering on dangerous ground. Across the so-called “developed” nations, warnings of rising fascism grow louder. Peaceful demonstrators are increasingly silenced, censored, or criminalized. Those who expose war profiteering are too often branded as threats themselves. Against this backdrop, Peyoti For President’s music doesn’t just entertain—it confronts, questions, and uplifts.

The album is unapologetically a call to action. It’s a celebration, yes, but one with teeth. Listeners will hear the jubilant sway of cumbia, the eclecticism of Gorillaz, the soulful grooves of Fat Freddy’s Drop, and the rich, detailed production of Nitin Sawhney. But they’ll also hear a challenge whispered (and shouted) between the beats: What are you doing to make the world a better place?

For all its urgency, Your Comfort Zone is not a grim record. It’s vibrant, joyful, and impossible to sit still to. It’s an album for dancing in the streets, for laughing through tears, for finding solidarity in rhythm. This is music that reclaims the power of song as protest, art as resistance, and dance as defiance.

With Your Comfort Zone, Peyoti For President has crafted more than an album. It’s a manifesto for survival in turbulent times, a soundtrack for those who refuse to sit quietly while the world turns darker. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most revolutionary act is to celebrate being alive, together.

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