By Brothers Kane & James Marady are romantics. Like early Paul McCartney (or, perhaps more accurately his lo-fi spiritual counterpart Emmit Rhodes), their songwriting is concise and heartfelt with an aura of homespun psychedelic pop that underscores a sense of hope. Beyond their genetic connection, the further two cemented their musical bond after finding a $30 multitrack cassette recorder via Craigslist, and the ‘60s and ‘70s pop traditions of McCartney or Todd Rundgren are immediately apparent through that sonic lens.
Their self-titled debut, out December 30th, emphasizes the wiry bedroom psychedelic elements of artists like Andy Shauf or Loving, but there is a radiating beauty to their commitment to celebrating love and the challenges that come with it. “Love with you, it’s no easy game,” they pine on “The Valley.” “I couldn’t win if I tried / I’m a million miles away / From what I’m really trying to say.” On the spindly standout single “Forever,” they coo “I fall apart at the seams when you repeat my name.”
These endlessly tender and passionate sentiments radiate throughout KANE & JAMES—as the duo would put it, it’s “about finding love in places you would least expect to. Like in a song or in a memory. Then, doing everything in your power to hold on to that feeling. Sometimes you’re left with nothing but yourself and your thoughts, and you’re forced to wander on and on in search of something, even when you might not know what that something is.”
If their feelings seem precisely voiced, it’s tenfold on the album itself. You can hear the whole thing early below, and it’s available to buy over on Good Eye Records’ Bandcamp!
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