Kami Kehoe Driving in the dark, listening to "Love Songs Vol. 1"
Photo Credit: Noah Castro
Starting up with the FUNKIEST, and GNARLIEST synth tones I've heard all year, Kami Kehoe's "Love Songs Vol. 1" has love at first hearing for me, and my only issue with it is that it eventually ends.
Singer-songwriter Kami Kehoe's musical journey began when she was only six years old, and her first instrument was the drums. A little later in life, after gaining confidence in writing her own music, Kami took on a backup vocalist role in a band with her two sisters, something she would do until the three eventually split to do their own thing when she was 16. Kami's musical dreams didn't die back then, obviously, as she dove deeper into the nitty-gritty of the craft, teaching herself how production and engineering in the secluded space of her bedroom.
For the past three years, Kami Kehoe has continued to evolve while publishing some of the 100+ songs she's recorded and produced in that timeframe. This year, she plans to release her debut album, and she led the charge with her previous single "Loaded Gun", to which "Love Songs Vol. 1" is a most excellent follow-up.
She's been accurately described as Pop-Funk, and I don't that's ever been as accurate and truthful as with this particular release, which really kicks things up a notch for me. "Love Songs..." is a bit more upbeat than usual without fully turning away from the raw emotional gradient that tends to tint most of her music. The lyrics tell the story of a doomed relationship where one person loves someone with a bad reputation.
Sometimes, we can't or we refuse to see people for who they really are, and all that our friends can do is wave red flags madly before it's too late.
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to sing and play drums at the same time?
If you thought that Kami was done at just being a musician, producer, sound engineer, singer and songwriter, you're sorely mistaken. "Love Songs Vol. 1" has an amazing music video that she put together with the help of Noah Castro, adding a bit of cinematography to her amazing toolkit. The amazing visuals depict Kami sitting in the darkness of an older car, jamming out to her own song in the dark, with two ever-changing colored light sources giving off an almost duotone effect. Simple yet effective and very unique.
I think I can safely say this is the coolest Lyrics Video I’ve ever seen. I dare you to find me a better one!
“This record talks about my experience of a past relationship where people close to me tried to warn me that I shouldn't be in it… that it was wrong. But, I kept fighting for it because I never saw what everyone else could see. Even though I realized they were right in the end, I could only see the good in this person through my eyes.”
If you're in L.A. and you wanna check out Kami's intense vocals, you ought to head to the peppermint Club in West Hollywood this March 18th.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Samuel Aponte is Venezuelan-born raised and based.
I joined Rival Magazine after a few years of doing PR work for independent musicians of all stripes; understanding their struggles to be heard in a sea of constant ADHD noise and paywalled access to platforms, I now bring a willingness to always appreciate and encourage the effort and creativity that artists put into their work . Can also find some of my writings on LADYGUNN and We Found New Music.