Kawala’s Final Tour and Album ‘Kawala Collection’
Following the release of tickets for their most recent tour, KAWALA suddenly announced that it was in fact a farewell tour. This came as a surprise to most fans, as they are a band that has only released one previous album titled “Better With You” in 2022, while they have been releasing music since 2018. Their most successful song being “Ticket To Ride,” released as a single in June 2020. They have said that the end of the band is not something they take lightly, and it was due to them feeling burnt out. However, after almost a decade together, it will be a blow to the fans, but will only make the tour more special.
"The Kawala Collection" consists of 8 songs, many of which have been released as singles beforehand to build anticipation; the first of which hit the charts in January 2024. So with almost a year of build-up to this album and the recent announcement of the farewell tour, anticipation is at an all-time high.
KAWALA is a band that values every instrument in each song; nothing is there without purpose. Especially the drums. Surprisingly, the drums seem to take almost as much prominence in the foreground as the vocals, whereas other artists may blend them in the background to help carry the song forward unnoticed. With the drums being so prominent, it can sometimes distract from the singer’s (Jim's) vocals. This gives him more of a chance to shine in songs such as “Honeycomb,” where it relies more on the vocals and the guitar.
The entirety of the album is written as if to be “the song of the summer,” filled with catchy melodies, twangy guitars, and choruses you can easily sing along to. They carry a distinct tone and rhythm throughout the whole album that creates an easy listening experience for both diehard fans and newcomers. Although the subject of the songs varies a lot, it carries the same tone throughout as if always seeing the bright side of everything. Moving from “Good Morning” to “What’s Up,” it switches from a love song straight into a breakup song. When compared to previous KAWALA releases, “The Kawala Collection” has much more multilayered instrumentals and dynamic vocals. The extra layers help create a more varied and memorable listening experience as it feels new but is also familiar and clearly still brings forward the same influences that KAWALA are often calling back to, such as Bombay Bicycle Club.
When fans of KAWALA first saw the announcement for the tour, they must have been very excited, but with its transformation into a farewell tour, the excitement quickly became bittersweet. It felt like KAWALA were just starting to find their niche and their career was starting to take off and hitting the mainstream audiences, so the announcement came as quite a shock. Maybe they never wanted to hit those mainstream audiences and never wanted the spotlight on them for too long.
I first saw them play live last summer and was amazed by the energy the band brought to the stage and the incredible vibe from the fans. At the time, their released music was more stripped back and chill, so watching them pour such passion and energy into their live performance really got the audience moving. I discovered the band during COVID, and their song "Animals" became one of my pandemic anthems, helping lift my spirits when nothing else could. Having only found them recently, I'm particularly sad to see them disband; I feel like I arrived late to the party, but I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment.
The new album delivers an upbeat sendoff to this incredibly lovable band in their characteristically laid-back style. I'll be devastated to see them go (I've shed more than a few tears), but I wish them all the happiness in the world and success in their future endeavours. Thank you for the memories.
Written by Oliver Galbraith and Moi Snoddy
