I caught up with Stuart Mckay, guitarist of Glasgow-based indie-rock band KAMORA to discuss the band's journey into music and their experience of writing during lockdown. With six singles under their belt, the indie-rock trio have been continuously evolving their sound with their latest single '24' displaying sophisticated melodies that showcases the band's indie-rock roots.
Hi Kamora, how are you?
We’re doing great thanks, keeping busy which is just how we like it!
Could you introduce yourselves to our readers?
Kamora is made up of Max Murphy, our frontman, Stuart Mckay (myself), our guitarist, and Dave Buron, our beloved drummer. We’re just finalising things with a new bassist at the moment.
How did you guys meet and form Kamora?
Our current line-up was brought together through mutual contacts. After a few rehearsals (and more than a few pints), we became best pals and built up what the band is today.
Is there a meaning behind the band’s name?
There are a few different meanings; Kamora is apparently from African origin and symbolises ‘God’s blessing to the earth’. We’ll take that.
From listening to your releases so far, it feels like there has been a progression in terms of your sound moving from indie-pop with ‘Wild Thing’ towards a more prominent indie-rock instrumentation with your most recent singles ‘Careful’ and ‘24’. Looking back over your work, do you feel that there has been an evolution in your sound?
The evolution of the sound was probably triggered by musical influences and a change in the line-up of the band. Even now, our sound is still constantly changing; we like to experiment with the music and take an open-minded approach to songwriting and production. We never want any of our songs to sound the same.
How do you write songs as a band, do you have a designated writer or is it more of a collaborative process?
We work most effectively together, bouncing ideas back and forth. Sometimes a song idea comes from one of us, which is shared with the rest of the band and will either get a thumbs up or a thumbs down from the rest of the boys.
I also produce demos for the ideas we have, which helps sculpt them into actual songs. A lot of the little extra details happen within the demo phase, through utilising production techniques. And with the ability to experiment with different sounds, the songs are taken to their highest potential before we bring them into the studio.
The majority of your releases have been overshadowed by the pandemic. How did you cope writing during lockdown and making music despite the restrictions?
During the restrictions, we kept in touch and sent ideas to one another. Although we couldn’t physically rehearse or record, there’s still a lot you can do to develop songs when just working from the house. We wrote the music and went into the studio as soon as the first lockdown ended, where we brought together what we’d developed during the restrictions. Then out came ‘The Answer’ and ‘24’.
"Even now, our sound is still constantly changing; we like to experiment with the music and take an open-minded approach to songwriting..."
Now that things are returning to normal, what do you guys have planned for the rest of 2022?
We have two more releases scheduled for the rest of the year, and our biggest headliner to date. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes and we can’t wait to show what we’ve been up to!
Are there any artists/musicians you would love to collaborate with in the future?
We’re always open to working with anyone in the industry when it makes sense for us. Working with musicians when recording is something we’ve started doing, hence the saxophone in ‘The Answer’ and in one of our upcoming singles! Listen out for it when it lands…
When can we expect to hear new music?
August and October.
And finally, do you have a message for your fans and listeners?
Thank you for the continued support, Keiko! Stay tuned for what’s on the horizon — as I say, our best music yet and biggest headliner to date are all on the way.
Check out Kamora's music in the links above and hear their singles '24' and 'Wild Thing' on my Spotify Featured Artists Playlist (link in bio).
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