House of Shem have signed with an international reggae label; in the meantime they'll continue to share their musical message of unity and love.
When Kiwi reggae act House of Shem released their debut album Keep Rising in 2008, they did so with the hope of spreading a message of peace and unity.
Five years on, the message on their recently released third album, Harmony is still the same - it's just a little
louder and more urgent. "We're still spreading the same message to the people," explains Te Omeka Perkins, who fronts House of Shem with his father, local reggae legend, Carl Perkins, and his brother Isaiah.
"That's our main work. It's not about trying to get a Vodafone music award or anything. It's about being real about what's going on today. We need harmony in the world right now, and that's why we've called the third album that."
Perkins admits there is a fine line between staying true to the message and giving in to commercial pressure. But he feels the band has stuck to its guns with Harmony, which is packed with lyrically powerful, so-called socially conscious tunes such as Fight For Freedom, Hard Road and the title track.
"It is hard, because we're sitting here struggling. And you know, we could have done a whole album full of love songs and radio hits if we wanted to. We've proved we can do that in the past. But I don't want my kids to be hearing an album full of just that in the future."