Q&A: KindKeith Opens Up Every Door on Sophomore Album On Love
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
IF YOU’VE EVER TRIED TO EXPLAIN WHAT LOVE ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE AND RUN OUT OF WORDS, KindKeith made On Love for you. Eleven tracks deep, spanning R&B, indie rock, jazz, and experimental pop, the record is less a genre exercise than a life document: every song a snapshot of a different moment, sequenced into something that feels nonlinear by design, because love itself rarely moves in a straight line.
Built over years and populated by a cast of close friends and longtime collaborators — CHERRI, Eric Braden, producer Mason Ables, drummer Zach Kursman, bassist Clunis, woodwind specialist Paulo Santos, and jazz pianist Dr. Thomas Wenglinski — On Love is the sound of an artist finally making the record he always heard in his head. Some of it was born in dreams. Some of it was born from knowing exactly when to invite someone else into the room. All of it is unmistakably him. We chatted with KindKeith to talk about the making of On Love, what love actually sounds like across eleven tracks, and why he's heading to Los Angeles with every intention of having the most fun of his life.
LUNA: On Love spans R&B, indie rock, jazz, and experimental pop - eleven tracks that feel like a lot of sonic ground to cover. Was there a single emotional throughline that held it all together for you while you were making it?
KINDKEITH: Oh, absolutely! I think what's really special about this record is that I spent such a long time writing it, and I feel like every song is representative of a certain time in my life. And in sequencing the album, I found that the emotional throughline is how important love is to me and how I feel like it impacts me daily.
LUNA: The album meditates on connection and vulnerability, but love means different things at different stages of writing a record. Did your relationship to the album's themes shift between when you started it and when you finished it?
KINDKEITH: Yes, and I feel like my connection to the themes of this record changes after every listen! I think it was important for me to make a sort of nonlinear story about love in this record, so that every listen can feel unique depending on what's happening in your — or my — life.
LUNA: "I Wanna Buy a Home With You" was literally born in a dream. How often does that happen for you, and do you chase it, or just leave the door open?
KINDKEITH: I'm a very vivid dreamer. I have basically movie-type dreams every single night, and the strangeness of every random dream I have bleeds into all aspects of life for me. "Another One" on the record is another one — lol — that was born out of a dream. I had a dream that I was an addict who was addicted to something like Pixie Sticks, and I couldn't kick it, and my friends were holding an intervention for me.
LUNA: You brought in an incredibly specific group of collaborators: a jazz pianist, a woodwind specialist, a drummer, a bassist, CHERRI, Eric Braden. How did you know who belonged on this record, and when did you know a song needed another voice or instrument rather than more of you?
KINDKEITH: Well, everyone on this record is a close personal friend first, and also a longtime musical collaborator. I think something that tends to be challenging about self-producing a project is that everything can sound so one-note, like you can only do what you know how to do. When I invite my friends in, they can immediately add so many other things I'd never think of. So when I'd get to a point in a demo where I feel like "this sounds TOO much like JUST me," I know it's time to extend the olive branch — is that how the saying goes? Also, most of the instrumentalists on the record are already in my live band, so that felt like kind of a cheat code.
LUNA: You worked with Mason Ables on production — how did that relationship shape the sonic world of On Love? Did it push you somewhere you wouldn't have gone alone?
KINDKEITH: Mason is a genius producer. He works so fast and so intentionally, and he always has such a vision for his music. Mason and I "produced" the track "On Love," but really I just played the piano and he did everything else — hahahaha. Mason is so into very different types of music from me, but I also feel like we have a ton of common ground. Like, I probably never would've been able to dive into such an interesting, weird sort of melding indie world without his help. Or been able to create a track that's like all guitar, no piano.
LUNA: KindKeith started as an Alternative Rap/R&B project and On Love clearly expands that in every direction. How do you think about genre as a container — is it something you work within, work against, or just stop thinking about entirely?
KINDKEITH: I think thinking about genre in the 2020s is like the worst possible way to think about music. I remember this quote from jazz school that's like "there's good music, and then there's the other kind." I love all types of music sooooo much, and I just try my best to stay away from making "the other kind" of music — hahahaha.
LUNA: What can you share about the visual side of the project?
KINDKEITH: I am not a huge visual artist if I'm being honest. I know lots of friends who can imagine a whole visual world while they're working on music, but that's never really been my strong suit. Thankfully though, I've had a wonderfully talented list of collaborators I've worked with on this drop. Lili Hickman did all of the cover art and brought this really cool paper storybook-esque quality to the artwork; Iron Waffle, a production company from San Mo, created a music video for "I Wanna Buy a Home With You" which is this insane thriller-esque zombie story; and Connor Mizell shot, edited, and created all these insanely beautiful and cinematic teaser videos for all the singles that I think really helped build a full world around the record.
LUNA: What does this album mark for you as an artist? Where does it land in the story you're telling with your work?
KINDKEITH: This is absolutely my favorite body of work I've released to date. I feel like being an artist is a constant battle of trying to get your skills to match your taste, and while I still feel like I'm a long way away from fully realizing that, this feels like a big step towards the direction of what I've always wanted to make and what I feel like I always hear in my head.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for this summer season?
KINDKEITH: I'm moving to Los Angeles this summer, and I intend to have as much fun as I possibly can — maybe more fun than I've ever had in my life. I'm hoping I can make some really cool music and go to the beach and get a matcha from Erewhon.
