You do get the sense the band have another level they can hit, and although they don’t quite get there on Better With You, that is something they can explore in the future. Overall, this is a solid debut for KAWALA with both flashes of promise and plenty of fun tunes to be found. ' Never Really Here For Long' then rounds out the album’s concise 30-minute runtime on a jubilant note, with a really quite cathartic chorus to send the listener off happy. Early 2022 single ' Jesse C’mon' also stills sounds great, a hypnotic festival-ready anthem where the band take aim at liars and deceivers over a typically playful groove. 'Good Like This' thankfully pulls things back for the final stretch though, a chilled-out, intimate track with some lovely polished-up pop production.
On spiritual title track ' Echoes', you may also find yourself waiting for a change in gear that never quite arrives. Latest single ' Hypnotized' has an earworm chorus and funky guitar passage midway through, but mostly feels like the band treading over already familiar ground. With a string-tinged acoustic backing and folky harmonies, it once again draws comparisons to the music of Simon & Garfunkel as well as early Fleet Foxes.įollowing a solid start, the album can’t help but take a slight dip around the midway point. ' Sailor' follows, another of the album’s biggest highlights. Even if you’ve heard it countless times, you still can’t help but get caught up in the infectious melody and big singalong chorus, which is quite an achievement considering heavy rotation can often be the quickest way to kill a great song. ' Marathon' is where you can really hear strong shades of Graceland -era Paul Simon coming through, a fun summery bop with some uncertainty in the lyrics as the frontmen sing “What happens when it all falls apart, do we just carry on?”Īnyone who has played EA Sports’ FIFA 21 will instantly recognise ' Ticket To Ride', which featured on the game’s soundtrack.
Upbeat single ' Searching' then continues the sonic textures and imagery of the previous track, as the duo of Jim and Dan disclose their trepidation over dating again after coming out of long-term relationships. 'Hold Back The Years' is quite the blissful start, a dreamy, acoustic-driven melody sweeping gracefully across your ears alongside metaphors of waves and tides, representing the daily struggle people have felt throughout the last few years. This is reflected in the words and sounds found throughout Better With You, with this record seeing them touch on their own personal growth as individuals, whilst also acting as a celebration for the band, their friends, family and loyal fanbase.Ĭentred on a consistent aesthetic of catchy Afrobeat-influenced grooves, led by the dual lead vocal harmonies of frontmen Jim Higson and Dan McCarthy, Better With You is the sound of a band getting ready to hit their stride, but not quite reaching it yet.
so although this is their first full-length, it almost feels like a moment where KAWALA are stopping to take stock of all that they have achieved so far, thanking those who have helped them along the way. The first single from KAWALA's debut album is here