ATO - no caroline (Official Video)

‘no caroline’ is an experimental rap track originally written by ATO about a personal situation, which then developed into a real deep dive into his own emotional shortcomings rooted in his experiences. In his own words, “the tensions of growing up black in a white city with no real understanding of my black history - lost identity, abandonment, and so on - correlated to the struggles of lost love.”

Following releases including EP 3, his 2019 feature with Vic Mensa ‘fallin’ and recent single Muscle Twitch, 'no caroline’ is the second single from his forthcoming EP Side A out 25th August.

Not being restricted by society’s perceptions of who he is defines ATO’s creative output. “It’s about trying to transcend those rules that have confined black Britons and be comfortable and confident to completely express myself and reclaim English identity as a black person,” he says. SIDE A closes with Nobu, a romantic song boasting a lightness that nods toward a change in mindset from the artist. Lines like “Lies weighing down on me heavy, as it happens I could fly” acknowledge a sense of personal growth and learning to look to a brighter future rather than ruminating on the past.