KAWALA
A sprightly pop band from the Camden borough of London, Kawala found success in 2018 when their percussive indie folk-inflected single "Do It Like You Do" became a streaming hit. Thanks to their bright, melodic style, they have earned comparisons to bands like Bombay Bicycle Club and Glass Animals. In 2022, Better with You marked their album-length major-label debut.
Kawala were initially formed as an acoustic duo by singer Jim Higson and guitarist/singer Daniel McCarthy, who studied music together at university in Leeds before heading back to North London to immerse themselves in the local music scene. A 2015 appearance on the popular Mahogany Sessions video series raised their profile significantly, and they soon fleshed out the band with the addition of lead guitarist Dan Lee, bassist Reeve Coulson, and drummer Ben Batten. Kawala issued their debut single, "Small Death," in 2017, following it in early 2018 with "Do It Like You," and becoming a streaming success in the process. As the group picked up steam throughout 2018, they began making festival appearances at Live at Leeds and The Great Escape, eventually releasing their debut EP, D.I.L.Y.D., later that summer on Mahogany Records.
The band signed with EMI in time for the release of their second EP, Kawala, in early 2020. Another extended play, Paradise Heights, followed in mid-2021. Written collaboratively and recorded with producers Joel Pott (George Ezra, Shura), Cam Blackwood (George Ezra, London Grammar), Joe Rubel (Ed Sheeran, Maisie Peters), Dan Bryer (Tom Grennan, Rag'n'Bone Man), and Mark Ralph (Years & Years, the Snuts), KAWALA's debut album, Better with You, followed in March 2022.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo
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