KAWALA announce their emotionally resplendent debut album ‘Better with You’ which will be released on March 4th 2022 through EMI records.
To celebrate the announcement the band have also released a brand-new track ‘Good Like This’, a euphoric slice of the band’s intimate song writing, and they’ve also announced a new run of dates (including Shepherds Bush Empire) for April 2022.
“’Good like This’ is on the more intimate side of the album’s range” the band explain. “It’s production style makes it stand out against other songs. We tried to achieve a certain euphoric feel, reflecting the emotional message of the song, and from that was born this hybrid of new and old KAWALA. It’s definitely an interesting turn for us but not something we’re shy or afraid of. That’s why we felt it such a good song to put on the album. It’s written from the point of view of someone giving themself advice. By telling themselves they feel better, they hope that they actually can.”
Containing a spectrum of thoughts and feelings, observations and ideas, the album is driven by golden melodies, danceable afrobeat-inspired rhythms and immediate harmonies that create a truly encompassing atmosphere across its ten songs. The album follows a series of acclaimed EPs and live shows from the North London band over the last two years which have not just seen them establish a fanbase, but forge a living, breathing community of like-minded individuals around them.
Fittingly, their debut album is a celebration of this communality, with a lyrical thread running through its songs charting the band’s growth as people and as artists. The record’s artwork helps reflect this, the band having chosen to ask a number of individuals who have helped them along the way to paint or draw different panels that eventually formed the overall mosaic album cover.
“Most of the songs are journeys,” declares singer Jim Higson, whose voice intertwines with co-frontman and guitarist Daniel McCarthy to drive the band’s tracks. “They’re about achieving something and getting to a new place. We wanted to tell not just our stories, but the stories of everyone who helped us to get where we are now, so the songs represent a much bigger journey.”
Tracks like recent single ‘Searching’, along with ‘Marathon’, ‘Echoes’ and the (cheekily named, non-cover) ‘Ticket To Ride’, are filled with an intoxicating hopefulness that unfurls into bright, pop moments, sure to stir minds and bodies. While complimenting this immediate energy, songs including ‘Hypnotized’, ‘Jesse C’Mon’ and ‘Good Like This’ provide a more immersive musical landscape that offers the soul space to resonate emotionally.
“The title ‘Better with You’ comes from the chorus of ‘Echoes’,” explains Daniel of the album’s name and the open-heartiness behind their music. “We wrote that about the longing and need to be reconnected with people. We had the audiences at shows in mind, but it ties with the wider feeling of the album because it fits so many scenarios, whether it is things like friends or dates. It’s a big moment in the song that really encapsulates the hopeful journey and progressive mentality we try to have. The album really celebrates the people who can help you.”
2021 Tour Dates
Sun 21 Nov – Cyprus Ave – Cork
Mon 22 Nov – The Academy – Dublin
Weds 24 Nov – St Dom’s Social Club – Newcastle
Thurs 25 Nov – King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – Glasgow (SOLD OUT)
Fri 3 Dec – Club Academy – Manchester (SOLD OUT)
Sun 5 Dec – The Bullingdon – Oxford (SOLD OUT)
Mon 6 Dec – The Globe – Cardiff (SOLD OUT)
Tue 7 Dec – Thekla – Bristol (SOLD OUT)
Weds 8 Dec – O2 Institute 2 – Birmingham (SOLD OUT)
Thurs 9 Dec – Arts Club – Liverpool
Mon 13 Dec – O2 Kentish Town Forum – London (SOLD OUT)
2022 Headline Tour
Thurs 7 Apr – Stylus – Leeds
Fri 8 Apr – The Caves – Edinburgh
Sat 9 Apr – Saint Luke’s – Glasgow
Mon 11 Apr – O2 Institute – Birmingham
Tues 12 Apr – The Marble Factory – Bristol
Wed 13 Apr – O2 Ritz – Manchester
Fri 15 Apr – O2 Shepherds Bush – London
