BMI Indie Spotlight: KAWALA

Posted in News on February 21, 2022

KAWALA is a five-piece band with a knack for creating harmonies with devastating, affecting power. Co-frontmen Jim Higson and Daniel McCarthy grew up as peripheral acquaintances in each other’s orbits, but after realizing that they both applied to study music at the same college in Leeds, “We were like, ‘This makes sense now, we’ve got to give this a proper go!’” A few growing pains (Daniel learning to sing, for example), the addition of new members—Ben Patten (drums), Reeve Coulson (bass), and Dan Lee (guitar)—and a series of EPs later, KAWALA has established themselves as purveyors of euphoria at their energizing live shows and have used word of mouth to create a real community around their band. Friends and family from their North London bubble have been brought into the fold—a primary school friend handling visuals, an older brother directing music videos—and they’re now on the brink of releasing their first full-length album, Better with You. The project features songs like “Searching,” “Marathon,” and “Ticket to Ride” (which is not a cover!), and McCarthy explains that the LP is their “flag in the sand moment. [It] really says: this is us, here we are!” Better with You came to fruition at a time when the world’s lockdowns were ebbing and flowing, but those changes proved to be a blessing in disguise, as it led to KAWALA getting to work with some of the most forward-thinking producers of the moment, among them Joe Rubel, Dan Bryer, Athlete’s Joel Pott, Cam Blackwood, and Mark Ralph. The result is an album ready to create a wider connection, because as anyone who appreciates harmony knows, it really is Better with You. KAWALA’s new single, “Hypnotized,” which was selected as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record in the World on Monday, February 21st, is out now.

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