Ambient indie pop band KIN return with their most ambitious single yet, The Runaways. Following the success of their first three singles, which have been collectively streamed over 310,000k times on Spotify, their new track, unleashed on the 5th November, is a pulsating pop anthem with dreamy guitar riffs, beautiful melodies, and mesmerising beats. The song is produced by Josh Tyrrell (Lana Del Rey, Mark Ronson, Tony Visconti) and released with 3tone Music.

In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kin about the latest music, adapting during a pandemic, technology and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?

We’re based in London, but Grace is from Sheffield, Ritu is from Guilford and I’m (Adam) from Devonvia Stratford-upon-Avon. We’re an ambient indie pop band, for fans of Foals, the XX and Warpaint. 

How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?

Music has always been important to me. From dancing to R.E.M. in my parent’s lounge while wearing star-shaped glasses, to sitting in my room as teenager playing the guitar along to Led Zeppelin IV, I’ve always wanted to be a musician in some capacity. It sounds basic, but I honestly love it. The communal energy of live shows and that feeling when you discover your new favorite record, it’s addictive. Being part of a band like KIN is special -finding likeminded people that you adore spending time with AND making music with is pretty rare. We work hard and challenge each other to make the best music we can, and we keep doing it because we love it and believe in the work that KIN creates.

How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific or explore different styles of creation?

With every project we do we try to push ourselves to elevate our work and songwriting. The Runaways should feel familiar to our fans but it’s also a fresh cut. We wanted the song to encapsulate the excitement and trepidation of leaving a settled life and venturing into the unknown. Grace’s lyrics often tell beautiful and relatable stories, and I think The Runaways is a prime example of this. Her lyrics get better and better with each record.

I think something that’s developing nicely in our creative process is our confidence in the studio;leaving space to play and explore and trusting ourselves. The Runaways is the first taste of that. Capturing those unique live moments in the roomand realising it doesn’t have to be the most technically perfect take to be the best take. Josh Tyrrell (our producer) has helped facilitate this mindset, he’s super open to letting us play around in the studio and we value his input.

We’re in the studio at the moment recording our debut EP and the process is so exciting. We’re building confidence with each new track we makeand we’re only just getting started.

Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented times? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?

The distance from each other and the lack of live shows has been the biggest challenge. We are a live band and have always written together in a room. We had to diversify the way we write but it’s good to broaden your options and we now feel like our relative geography doesn’t have to have a bearing on our creativity. Nothing beats being a in a room together though. And playing live again feels better than ever. Support live music, without it music dies!

What was the last song you listened to?

Movies by Alien Ant Farm, as part of an early 2000s skater playlist I put together.

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?

Vinyl. I enjoy the sensory experience of putting a record on our record player at home. Plus, my stepfather has an incredible record collection, I think it’s over 5,000 now. So when I go home to Devon I love finding new music in his collection. But having said that, different formats work for different moods and different people, and the music’s the thing, not the format. 

Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?

We’re @kinbandofficial across all our social media (Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok) and we love when people say hi! We also do a monthly playlist called KINspire Me on Spotify and it’s great to hear which tracks people are enjoying each month.

I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?

Follow our mailing list at kinband.co.uk for all the latest info!