16 min
New West with Kevan Kenney Kevan Kenney Dot Radio Podcast
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- Artes
After a whirlwind week of late-night show stops and their first-ever U.S. gigs, Toronto artist collective New West stopped by the KROQ studios in Los Angeles to chat with Audacy host Kevan Kenney all about their crazy week of firsts, their major hit “Those Eyes,” and more.
“We don’t use the B word," the collective comprised of Kala Wita, Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West said, referring to the word "band."
“It’s more a collective than a band, just in the way it came to be," Noel continued. “It wasn’t like jamming in a garage — here’s a bass player, here’s a drummer, here’s a singer, here’s a guitar player — okay now we’re a band. Everyone has their own kind of artistry to themselves. There’s more vaguely defined roles, for lack of a better term. But in the studio, if anyone has an idea we’ll just kind of record it, put down parts freely. It’s not so astringently a traditional band in a sense.”
Constantly switching instruments on stage, and dividing up who’s doing what when it comes to sound; New West is anything but traditional.
“There’s no balance; it's a constant flux of chaos,” Kala said about their creative process, and that includes “a lot of voice notes” and “arguments.” However, when it came to “Those Eyes,” he noted, “that was an anomaly honestly, and I was like the first thing that we ever did which is crazy to think about. That one just fell onto us in a sense. We locked ourselves in a cabin in the wilderness of Canada, and that was like the first thing that came out.”
Listen above to hear more from New West about their constant search for inspiration, whether that comes while “on the toilet,” or through “a change of scenery,” as well as their thoughts about what they think of their music being referred to as “nostalgic.”
Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Kevan Kenney
After a whirlwind week of late-night show stops and their first-ever U.S. gigs, Toronto artist collective New West stopped by the KROQ studios in Los Angeles to chat with Audacy host Kevan Kenney all about their crazy week of firsts, their major hit “Those Eyes,” and more.
“We don’t use the B word," the collective comprised of Kala Wita, Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West said, referring to the word "band."
“It’s more a collective than a band, just in the way it came to be," Noel continued. “It wasn’t like jamming in a garage — here’s a bass player, here’s a drummer, here’s a singer, here’s a guitar player — okay now we’re a band. Everyone has their own kind of artistry to themselves. There’s more vaguely defined roles, for lack of a better term. But in the studio, if anyone has an idea we’ll just kind of record it, put down parts freely. It’s not so astringently a traditional band in a sense.”
Constantly switching instruments on stage, and dividing up who’s doing what when it comes to sound; New West is anything but traditional.
“There’s no balance; it's a constant flux of chaos,” Kala said about their creative process, and that includes “a lot of voice notes” and “arguments.” However, when it came to “Those Eyes,” he noted, “that was an anomaly honestly, and I was like the first thing that we ever did which is crazy to think about. That one just fell onto us in a sense. We locked ourselves in a cabin in the wilderness of Canada, and that was like the first thing that came out.”
Listen above to hear more from New West about their constant search for inspiration, whether that comes while “on the toilet,” or through “a change of scenery,” as well as their thoughts about what they think of their music being referred to as “nostalgic.”
Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Kevan Kenney
16 min