Congolese-Canadian artists Pierre Kwenders and Dear Denizen of ABAKOS borrowed their name from the fraught political history of the Democratic Republic of Congo: An Abakos was originally the Mao-inspired suit which Mobutu Sese Seko made standard for the country in his efforts to counteract European influence in the 70’s. But the reference is tongue-in-cheek, and the project is more informed by the duo’s past than about it. The music is beautiful and forward-facing, with resonant lyrics about hope, love, and change. As is the overtly political “Run”, which ends with a loop of a child singing her ambivalence about an un-named “Mr. President” about the universal role disappointment plays in politics. It’s the same in Canada, the DRC, and everywhere else.