Colors and Fades, an alternative rock band from Lusaka, Zambia, have released a new single titled “Awaken”, now available with an official video.
If AFRICA.ROCKS readers have been paying attention to our coverage of Zambia’s heavy underground, the name Mwango Lunda will already be familiar. Known for his work with Poisoned Blood, Lunda steps into different territory with Colors and Fades, a project that leans further into melody and atmosphere while still carrying traces of his heavier background.
“Awaken” is the debut single from Colors and Fades, bringing together guitarist Mwango Lunda, multi-instrumentalist Chaana Chilepa of Stasis Prey on bass and drums, and vocalist Chansa Mwenya.
In a statement shared exclusively with AFRICA.ROCKS, Lunda said the project was born from his desire “to step outside the heaviness of metal and explore a gentler, melodic terrain.” The song began with his initial lyrics and structure before evolving collaboratively. “Chansa entered the process to refine and expand the vision, reshaping the chorus into something deeper, not just a plea for love, but a declaration of love as the prime catalyst for remembrance, awakening, and conscious transformation,” he explained. “Chaana’s rhythmic foundation sealed the track into a complete soundscape.”
The musician also explained that the title itself carries a double meaning: “On one level, it speaks to the intimate force of love, the twin-flame connection that stirs the soul,” they said. “On another, it rises into a broader meditation, a call to the ‘sleeping masses’ to break free from the entrenched slumber of programming and conditioning.”
He added that the refrain “Tryna find a way to awaken thee” works both “as a personal cry and a collective summon, urging awareness, liberation from the shackles of systematic thinking, and the finalization of attaining conscious transformation.”
Watch the video below:
