While you won’t get to hear her new album Happy Hour in full until June 24, London’s Hollie Cook is previewing selections from the forthcoming record to keep our springtime festivities going strong. Today, Cook shares “Kush Kween,” a song inspired by her personal garden. She says, “I literally came up with the chorus as I was watering my plants.” You’ll want to add it to your latest playlist today:

“Kush Kween” also features a verse from Jamaica’s Jah9. While collaboration isn’t entirely foreign to Cook—after all, she was a member of The Slits in the 2000s—inviting guests onto her solo albums is new territory. She elaborates:

Jah9 has graced the song “Kush Kween” with an amazing verse. I knew I wanted to attempt more collaborations with other artists; it’s something I haven’t done with my own material so much. I wanted to keep “Kush Kween” very feminine and fertile, and I love Jah9’s rich, powerful vocal energy, so I reached out to her on Instagram to see if she would like to join me on the track. We had met briefly before and the energy was right in person, and it’s magic on this track.

With Happy Hour, her ravishing new LP, Hollie Cook matures into the queen of modern-day “lovers rock”—the lush girly harmony reggae style beloved in Britain since the 1970s. Hollie dares to invite listeners into her true personality through these alluring songs, which she co-produced with her General Roots band members Ben Mckone and Luke Allwood, and executive producer Youth.

“Kush Kween” follows “Full Moon Baby” which arrived with a music video last month on album announcement day. Pre-order Happy Hour now on CD, LP, and limited-edition orchid & tangerine Peak Vinyl in the Merge store, Hollie’s website, and participating independent record shops. In addition, Rough Trade will have an exclusive blue & purple vinyl pressing available at all of their US and UK shops, including Rough Trade East in London where Hollie will perform a record-release show on June 30.

[credit: Fabrice Bourgelle]

Hollie Cook on tour:
Jun 30 London, UK – Rough Trade East (Happy Hour release show)
Sep 23 Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
Sep 28 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere Rooftop
Oct 14 Glasgow, UK – King Tut’s
Oct 15 Blackpool, UK – Bootleg Social
Oct 16 Manchester, UK – Gorilla
Oct 18 Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club
Oct 20 Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
Oct 21 Bristol, UK – Thekla
Oct 22 Brighton, UK – Chalk
Oct 23 Southampton, UK – The 1865
Oct 26 London, UK – Village Underground
Oct 27 Beauvais, FR – L’Ouvre-Boîte
Oct 28 Paris, FR – Trabendo
Oct 29 Brussels, BE – Botanique
Oct 30 Utrecht, NL – Tivoli de Helling
Nov 04 Saint Pierre, RE – Kergueven
Nov 05 Le Port, RE – Kabardock