KIN TALA offers up astounding sonic worlds in their recent debut EP ‘Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost.’ Fusing elements of indie-rock, electronic, and ambient genres, KIN TALA’s debut EP is an effortless evolution of their alternative-indie sound as this fantastic release secure’s the North West UK duo’s place as an important act to watch this year. We chat to KIN TALA about their pivotal EP release…
Hey guys! We absolutely love NATWWAL here at Urbanista, it’s so great to interview you!
Your debut EP, ‘Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost,’ blends indie-rock, electronic, and ambient genres. Can you share what inspired this eclectic mix and how you achieved such a unique sound?
Thank you! So I think our sound has always been influenced by our favourite bands and records, and you can definitely get a sense of that through the EP. FOALS ‘Total Life Forever,’ The Maccabees ‘Given To The Wild’, and Arctic Monkeys ‘Humbug’ will always be our definitive three. But we’ve also wanted to avoid that two guitars, one bass, one drum kit standard indie feel, and shake it up a bit with different styles and genres that we’ve listened to since we were kids, so there are subtle elements of hip-hop percussion, jazz instrumentals, and electronic beats.
How has your dynamic as a duo influenced the creation of this EP?
We’ve been writing music together for as long as we’ve been friends… in fact, we wrote music together before we were friends!
It’s always been a constant process of back and forth with ideas, recordings, and mixes. We chop and change for each track, so for one track it’ll be Shee writing the structure with bass and keys, and then the next it’ll be Dom writing a riff or writing some lyrics that kickstarts the process – there is never a clever cut way. The EP came out of that random rhythm, which is what, we think, makes it quite wide-ranging in terms of style and focus.
The opening track, ‘Aztecs,’ is bold and challenging. What was the creative process behind this track, and what message did you hope to convey?
We’ve always felt like the best and end songs are always hard to listen to at first so we wanted Aztecs to feel like a gateway to a different experience where you’re like stepping into something unknown yet interesting, sort of like Vangelis ‘Bladerunner’ soundtrack – weird and wonderful. Dom was reading a book called ‘The Fifth Sun’ at the time, and it’s all about the fall of the Aztecs but the survival of its people and culture, and that narrative, just fit into the sound and landscape we had created and the overall message we wanted to convey.
‘Ocean Blues’ is a standout track with a lot of personal significance. Can you delve into the story behind this song and why it means so much to both of you?
We literally wrote this track together in less than half an hour. I think it was the first time where we proper clicked and thought ‘Christ, this is really actually good…’ However, it took us quite a few years to actually record and mix it to a standard and style we liked and deserved, so it originally sounded like something straight out of an early Beach Fossils album, but then developed sonically alongside our mixing skills, becoming more eclectic, diverse and impactful.
How did the themes manifest in ‘Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost,’ and why are they important to you?
The lyrics on the record are intentionally subtle and ambiguous, but we wanted NATWWAL to explore and reflect the recent goings on and challenges in our lives, like growing up, starting our own families, mental health and aspirations and dreams. The record ponders and laments on our wider social, political and historical situations as well, and tries to blends our own frustrations with the elements of pride that we share too.
How do you see your music evolving in the future? Are there any new directions or experiments you’re excited to explore?
We like to mix it up with every track and project. For our next project, we’re quite keen to avoid complicating things too much and limiting ourselves practically in order to help us to be more creative. That means sticking to analog sounds and live recordings, avoiding perfectionism or toxic comparisons, and following our hearts.
Any plans to take NATWWAL onto the road? Any live gigs we should keep an eye out for?
100%, we are absolutely dying to play NATWWAL live. With it being the two of us, and with us playing multiple instruments – it’s a challenge, but looking at duos like the late-Hers (an amazing band) – it’s more than doable.
What can fans expect from KIN TALA in the future?
Another fantastic EP, creative merch, class live gigs, festivals, and a long-awaited debut album.
We can’t wait, KIN TALA! Thanks for talking with us.
Listen to Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost on SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
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