Capitol Music-signed band KEV releases their debut EP ‘Chapter X’ – a strong compilation of electro-pop fused synths, guitars and drums. Comprised of Kevin Stefansson, Viktor Broberg, Sebastian Atas and Victor Sjöström (of Galavant), the Swedish-based band formed in 2015 “under the mutual vision of making original and unexpected sounds for lovers of music across the board.”
Listening to KEV’s debut brings out an ethereal, wistful musical setting that can make for a great soundtrack to young love and reveries. The EP seems to be a reflection of 23-year-old Kevin Stefansson telling real stories of human emotion which is evident in the dreamy lyrics and blended, smoothed over instrumentals. The songs take listeners on a journey of hopefulness mixed with a bit of nostalgia. The lead single ‘Moments’ has over 500,000 views on Spotify.
I had the opportunity to go behind the music with Kevin and get some context around the band’s unique sound, writing process and more. Check out the interview with Kevin below.
Listen to ‘Chapter X’ on Spotify: lnk.to/ChapterX
For those who don’t know, how did KEV come to be? How did all the members meet?
We knew each other a bit from before because of mutual friends and such. But actually it all started when I (Kevin) came to over to Galavant’s studio to work with them on another music project. We worked well together and had the same visions. So I told Viktor, who I also had worked with a lot before, that we could start a new project with a new type of music, that none of us had been working with before. Victor and Sebastian (both of Galavant) were on board to do a new music project and the rest is history!
KEV has a unique style that seems to be a hybrid of pop, indie and electro. Can you describe your sound and how it evolved into what you hear today?
First of all thank you! I’m glad you think we have a unique style – that’s a good thing. Well it’s always hard to describe your own sound but we are definitely in the pop genre. Considering all four of us have different musical backgrounds, we’re able to combine and work together with different approaches. Victor and Sebastian come from house/EDM backgrounds, Viktor from an indie pop/singer songwriter background and myself from the pop genre. So I think that’s our “secret” and that’s also something that we use a lot while making music. We learn from each other and also listen to all the ideas. Our sound is evolving every day – it’s funny because we never know how a song will sound at the end of a studio session.
What was the process for putting together ‘Chapter X’? Did you have a particular theme or story that you wanted to tell?
‘Chapter X’ is about traveling – within yourself, from yourself and with someone else. It’s a pretty hopeful EP although the lyrics can sometimes be sad and dark. But for us it’s a hopeful EP. The process was fun and easy. This EP contains some of the first tracks that we ever did. It feels like we have maintained the same curiosity that we had at the beginning (when we first got together) and it has carried over to the songs we make today.
Why did you release Moments as the lead single off the new EP?
It was the most hopeful track on the EP and a song that would give the right mood to the EP as a whole. It was also a track that described our genre the best.
Why did you choose the name ‘Chapter X’ for the EP?
Many reasons. One of the reasons was that this was the start of KEV. And this chapter of KEV became ‘Chapter X’. We have a lot of chapters in our life but to say that this EP is chapter one or two feels unnecessary. You don’t have the same problems or the same feelings at the same stages in your life. With ‘Chapter X’, we wanted to keep it open for everyone to feel that wherever you are in your life, it’s okay to feel sad, happy or whatever. We wanted this EP to be for everyone, regardless of age, gender and so on.
What’s next for fans to anticipate now that ‘Chapter X’ is released?
Well I think that KEV will be hard to anticipate because, as I said before, we are evolving our sound daily and make music that we like for the moment – the music just comes to us. So music-wise, it will be an interesting journey for those who join. But fans can anticipate that we will make a lot of music and try to be out and play as much as possible. That’s our dream.
If you could pick any other artist to collaborate with, who would it be?
Great question and also a question that we four would answer totally different. I think that we’d choose: M83, Bon Iver, Robyn, The Weeknd, Snakehips and Daft Punk. It would be interesting to work with every one of them.
Who inspires you most as artists?
This question is hard because as an artist, I think we have a pretty clear vision of what we want to do and we don’t want to copy anyone. But people who have inspired us are the same as who I previously mentioned. Considering that our songs sometimes can be very different to each other, there are so many different artists that inspire us.
What do you like to do for fun, aside from making music?
Music takes up most of our time right now so sometimes it feels like a hobby, a full-time job and a wife all at once. But when not making music it’s always fun to play some FIFA, listen to good music, watch great movies and exercise. I’m also an actor so acting is something I love doing aside from music. And a glass of red wine is always nice too…
Finally, what album would you describe as the most important to you growing up?
‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson. Even though I didn’t listen that much to Michael growing up, it was a great album with a very unique sound that still inspires me today.
For more information on KEV, visit the links below:
Photo credits: KEV, Capitol Music Sweden, Urban PR
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