When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphanies since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
Growing up, I was a true 90s kid listening to all of the label-made pop bands, from S Club 7 to Spice Girls and had an obscene Gareth Gates obsession at the age of 9! I think that I had real musical epiphanies when I joined a choir and began singing choral music and when I watched Lord of the Rings for the first time and began collecting soundtracks. Weird, I know for a kid, but it showed me that music can be crafted in a way that is an accumulation of multiple parts, that simple layers make complicated melodies and that each element has an important place in the music. It's allowed me to be whimsical, ambitious and cinematic in my approach to creating.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
The process really changes with each song. I always have a rolling list of lyrics on the go in a notes on my phone so sometimes it starts with that. Often it's a guitar riff of Adam's which we write over. It's a very collaborative process and we all write our respective parts and we love getting into a rehearsal room together to try new things and establish what works. Obviously this has been a challenge over the past year or so, with the pandemic forcing us to adapt and write even when we couldn't physically been together. We've got good at making demos and sending them back and forth to each other so the music never stops.
Who has influenced you the most?
I think in terms of style, female fronted bands such as Warpaint, Daughter, Beach House and The Big Moon have been really important. Adam's guitar style is heavily influenced by indie bands such as Foals, he loves a catchy riff! Ritu loves hip hop and R&B which gives us a slightly unusual aim to create unexpected beats with a different vibe.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
It's probably an obvious answer, but absolutely everywhere! Reading books, watching films, visiting galleries, going out and about and looking at people and the world and trying to invent little stories about what I see. I think that you write what you know, so drawing on experiences and things you've seen is important but can only happen if you actually put yourself out there! I've probably written more song lyrics on the tube than anywhere else because it's so full of everyday life which is inspiring. I think there is a beauty in the mundane, it's the little things in life that make it.
I'm from Sheffield, the home of so many amazing artists. From Arctic Monkeys to Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker. It's hard not to have been influenced by such amazing music, to have been given the confidence that a career in music is possible even if from a regional city. I think that venues up North are so accommodating but often get overlooked or missed on the tour circuit and growing up it was frustrating. It made me realise that room for experimentation is huge. That in order to be noticed, trying new and exciting things is what should be done as an artist. There's a sincerity and genuineness to the music that comes from here and I think that reflects in the music of KIN. We don't try to sugar coat our sound and although we're ambitious we're not trying too hard to be anything but ourselves. We support the "little man" and never want to side-line anybody. We really hope to gig in more venues across the country soon too!
Where'd the band name come from?
We had a list of names and "KIN" was the one we hated the least! We felt it was fitting because there are three letters, three of us. We feel like we are a little family and we try to connect with our fans and create a safe and inclusive space on our social media platforms too. There is a kinship there.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
We'd probably be most suited sound-tracking an indie romantic film starring Saoirse Ronan and Miles Teller! But I think it would be fun writing a sci-fi soundtrack with an indie twist so maybe an Alex Garland or Denis Villeneuve future film. It would be cinematic with lots of reverb drenched backing vocals and grungy guitars whilst still being atmospheric and ethereal. The closing credits song could be really epic too.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
Tough question. Maybe I'd just choose an Arctic Monkeys song so I could write about Alex Turner's wonderful lyricism and the experimentation of the band, the revival of indie in the 21st Century and the renewal of life in the music scene of regional, northern cities. "Star Treatment" from the latest album would be a good song to start the essay.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
If you can count having a shot of Archer's Peach Schnapps before every gig and then going home to sit in bed with a cat and electric blanket "Rock and Roll", then we are definitely it! I feel like we are a fairly wholesome band and level headed enough not to lose it and smash our instruments. Those things cost money! Adam got in the crowd once, we've met our fair share of other cool bands backstage, we managed to blag a venue in Chicago into giving us a gig when we'd only played live twice before. We've not been on tour yet. Maybe that's when we will start going wild.
We have the best time and we love it so much. There really is nothing better than being in a room with the people who support you the most and seeing how they are reacting and engaging with the music. We like to take our time, to interact, to show we are enjoying it and we want our live shows to be an inclusive and safe space for everyone. We love chatting to fans afterwards too. I think our fans can experience something genuine, when they look up onstage they can see how much we just love being there.
What makes a great song?
Something you want to press play on as soon as you've just finished listening to it.
What one single album do you wish that you'd written or performed on, and why?
This question is too hard as well. Today I'm going to say "Trance Frendz" by Olafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm purely because if I'd performed on it, then it would mean I would be a really talented pianist which is something I'm striving towards and putting practice into. It's also a collaboration album and I'd love to have a friendship like that.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
Out of all the singles we have released so far, Sharing Light is maybe the one I'm most proud of. It was our debut, it did astonishingly well when no one had heard us before and it feels like a special, timeless song that I don't think I'll ever get bored of singing or playing. There is a nostalgic quality to it which I'm inspired by.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
I'm really into Matt Maltese at the moment after discovering him in 2016. He writes great pop songs. They are melancholic but also playful. I love the whimsical quality to his lyrics, his voice is amazing and he has an old school style with a modern twist that I'm drawn to every time he releases something.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Digital for practicality, Vinyl for quality. Sorry CDs!
Beer. I'm not a whiskey drinker I'm afraid. Beer is an allrounder. There is so much variety, it's perfect ice cold on a summer's day or in a cosy pub by the fire in winter. It doesn't get you too drunk. It's cheaper. What's not to like?
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
I'm from Sheffield which is the home to so much amazing music, independent venues and up and coming new bands. It's having a bit of a revival. There are so many amazing independent shops and cafes to go to. Bear Tree Records in the centre of town is a good one and it's round the corner from loads of great vintage shops. It's definitely a go to place if you’re ever in the city!
What's next for the band?
We have a really exciting year ahead. We have a new single coming out in February 2022 and we've just finished recording our debut EP which will be out next year too. It's a really ambitious record and one we are all very proud of! We are putting plans in place to gig a lot more, regionally too, and hopefully we will play more festivals too.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Thanks so much for taking the time! We love to say hi on social media and we have a monthly playlist, "KINspire Me", which you can find on Spotify if you'd like to keep up to date with all our monthly favourite tunes.
https://www.instagram.com/kinbandofficial
https://www.twitter.com/kinbandofficial
https://www.facebook.com/kinbandofficial
https://www.tiktok.com/kinbandofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/47JAFv0YP5Dur3XMe4LxRv?si=JAdV5JJaTRGuSyJTifNoag&nd=1
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