Originating from New Jersey, KIDSNOT$AINTS, also known as KN$, is the musical collective of Josh Mathew, Alan Warui, Raphael George, Brandon White, Michael Dinardi, and Jalen Brown.
Conceived during the early stages of the pandemic, this east coast crew draws inspiration from the Doobie Brothers, Clairo, MGMT, and several others. KN$ crafts sound from a large variety of genres and eras, with an emphasis lying within love, heartbreak, and everything in between.
Their forthcoming EP titled ‘Can Boys Have Diaries?’ tours through these themes over the four tracks carefully curated for the best listening experience in mind. With these songs following an individual struggling to figure out what an ideal relationship would look like, each track represents a different stage on a voyage through adoration.
Commencing this project with the groovy introductory single, “I THINK I NEED HELP,” we get weaved into the lyrical tapestry that is the start of ‘Can Boys Have Diaries?.’ Through pulsating percussion patterns and impeccable use of electric synths and dreamy guitar riffs, we’re submerged in a resonance that captures the fluttery buoyancy locked into place—delving into a narrative that touches on words embracing a melancholy nature, the notion of realizing the struggle of hiding behind a facade for the sake of pleasing someone else is brought to life. KIDSNOT$AINTS leaves an impactful mold into our mind with earworm melodies that run wildly free as we digest this slice of harmonious bliss.
Attaching us to the unconventional soundscapes that KIDSNOT$AINTS are known for, we’re transported to the darker wave of the spectrum as we carefully listen to the finer details roaming throughout “GIRL WITH THE FILAS.” The atmospheric nature of the musical foundation leaves us to fixate upon the mesmerizing croons conveyed. The therapeutic essence has us indulging in brilliant harmonic schemes as the mystery etched into this piece has us appreciating the emotionally potent record. With lyrics that encompass themes of self-love and reassurance, we’re effortlessly drawn towards the contrast implicated in “GIRL WITH THE FILAS.”
“AL’s INTERLUDE” gives short and sweet a whole new meaning. The psychedelic amalgamation of vibrant guitar riffs melts through the speakers in a unified fashion with the resonated bassline. Instilling an undeniable sense of rhythm within us, the blatant messaging is made crystal clear with the songs debuting lyrical motif ‘You can do me wrong a million times, but I still won’t know how to hate you.’ Transcending harmonies gently caress our very being as there’s tantalizing energy to the empowering spirit that an interlude of this caliber carries forth.
Professing emotion in the vulnerable essence of this EP, it only makes sense to get off this sonic voyage with the thought-provoking “CLOUD9.” The effervescence that travels through the top-tier production elements of this record signifies hope for better days ahead. Burgeoning with the intoxicating textures found as the composition progresses, we find ourselves clasping onto the closure that KIDSNOT$AINTS provides to us. Redefining what love truly means and the rollercoaster of a journey that comes with it, the brilliance unraveled gets a round of applause from this entire auditory documentation.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, KIDSNOT$AINTS, and congratulations on the release of your latest EP. With such a relatable concept taken to great depths, what was the moment or story surrounding the creation of this project?
This project was conceived out of wanting to give listeners a little more substance to digest rather than our previous approach which was solely singles. It started with "Girl With The Filas" which, in itself, marked a new direction for our sound. It was initially going to be released as a single but we thought that it might be overlooked if it wasn't given the right emotional context. To combat this, we spent a lot of time meticulously crafting demos, curating the sound and the look for this project to create a story that people could connect with. Needless to say, we hope that our work paid off.
Out of the four songs conveyed to listeners, is there anyone in particular that you as a band resonate with the most? Why?
"Cloud9" is special for me (producer Josh) because I get a feeling of elation every time the chorus hits. I think the title really suits the song because the chorus makes you feel like you're soaring and the warmth in its tone signifies the ideal conclusion to any relationship: a happy one. At the end of the day though, all of the songs have their own unique strengths that I connect with.
Compared to your work found in your music catalog, how does ‘CAN BOYS HAVE DIARIES?’ stand apart from the rest?
'CAN BOYS HAVE DIARIES' is our first cohesive project...whereas we mentioned previously, our past releases have just been singles. In such a short span of songs, we really tried to capture a bunch of different emotional moments to bring listeners on a brief but rich journey. There is also a very apparent progression in maturity from our first release "Daydreamer" to this project.
Could you please share a glimpse into what the creative process entailed when bringing this EP to life? How did curating the tracklist fall into this?
Our creative process typically results from the main songwriters Raphael and/or Alan bringing an idea to the table, workshopping those ideas in the studio, then producer Josh working to fully realize the idea and turn it into a song. Curating this tracklist was really just us trying to figure out the best way to convey the narrative that this project encompasses. These four songs represent the different stages of being in love and we ordered the tracks chronologically in accordance with that theme.
What do you hope that your audience can reflect on when taking in this masterpiece?
We hope that these songs resonate with people not just simply in terms of sonics but emotion as well. If any part of this project evokes some kind of nostalgia, love, heartbreak, or feelings in-between, then I would say we did our job right.
