K. Tones is back at it again, creating thought-provoking, soulful music sure to grab your attention and leave you wanting more.
K. Tones is an artist and producer based out of Columbus, Ohio, and Los Angeles, California. Never conforming to any one sound, his style is a beautiful mixture of genre-blending sounds. K. Tones’ influences stem from his teen years, where he spent most of his time writing poetry and instrumental music. He was inspired early on by a wide selection of genres including Hip-Hop, R&B, Gospel, Alt-Rock, Electronica, and even Classical.
When the pandemic hit the world in 2020, K. Tones used the time of isolation as an opportunity to hone in and develop an extremely versatile and unique sound that manages to blend many of these styles together seamlessly. After releasing his extremely self-expressive mixtape “Kontra” in June of 2021, K. Tones went back to the drawing board. In January 2022 he managed to do it again, producing yet another extremely thought-provoking, sonically-immersive world within his latest EP, “Kool”.
Over the course of “Kool”, K. Tones explores a variety of genres and sonic worlds, blending elements of Hip-Hop, Alt-Rock, Pop, Electronic, R&B, and much more.
Now, let’s take a deep dive into the tracks that make up “Kool”. K. Tones opens up the project with an emotive, layered, vocal-driven track titled “Away”. This track combines soothing, stacked synth pads with soulful, buttery R&B-style vocals. Throughout the track, K. Tones consistently repeats the line, “somewhere far away, there’s a special place, where we’ll be free”. This line is ingrained in the listener’s mind, and we feel it to our core. “Away” is a short and sweet opener, setting up a beautiful base layer for the rest of the project to leap off from.
Moving on to the second track, entitled “Downtime”, listeners are immediately met with newfound energy. There is definitely no downtime offered within this track, and we aren’t mad about it. Gritty synth and electric guitar lines combine magically with driving percussion and pumping sub-bass. These hard-hitting features are paired with lighter vocals that float across the track in the upbeat, Rock, and Pop infused banger.
As we enter into the world of “Dizzy”, the third track off the EP, we are engulfed by K. Tones’ stacked vocals, auto-tuned to perfection. There is a thick reverb and echo that occurs throughout the track, emphasizing especially the word “Dizzy”, creating an extremely cool effect for the listener. Backed by drums that cut through the intricate soundscape with a yearning force, K. Tones has created a trippy, Psychedelic Rock-infused world, and we are living for it. This is another short and sweet track that packs a punch.
“Lovetripper” is the fourth track of this project, which is K. Tones’ take on Cucu’s original version. K. Tones takes a more stripped-back approach initially with the track. We're loving the intimacy created by his vocals, layered atop just singular sub-bass. Layered vocals and thick harmonies maintain the intimacy throughout the track along with a droning synth line. K. Tones picks up the energy part-way through the song, with added production elements and trap-style drums, keeping the listener engaged and hooked onto every word he says.
Next up, we have “Separate (Interlude)”, infused with heavier, darker elements that help diversify the sonic world we are immersed in. Wonderfully auto-tuned falsetto vocals layer atop a perfectly gritty backdrop.
Now, onto “Love Doesn’t Exist (Same Old Ways)”. As the title suggests, K. Tones’ second last track dives into themes of love and heartbreak. Drowned out vocals help to create a unique soundscape that jumps between distant, reverb-infused layers and more prominent and distinct sections of the hook. K. Tones infuses elements of Electronica in this track, with a heavy, bold, and dark production that punches through beautifully.
As we reach the end of K. Tones’ project, we are met with his last track, “Sunset”, an honest, Alt-Rock driven track. It combines sonic elements we’ve heard over the course of the EP, with aspects of upbeat gritty Rock as well as Electronica. K. Tones closes out the project with this high-energy track, and it couldn’t feel more perfect.
Overall, this is a thoroughly well-thought-out, sonically rich, genre-blending project. We love the lush and bold environment K. Tones has created in his production, and can’t wait for you to hear it.
Go and show K. Tones some love on his standout EP “Kool”, available on all streaming platforms.
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