The way KANDA blends soul with latin, indie with commercial, and conventional with unconventional culminates in music that’s sweet and warm, yet full of novel ideas and unique vibes, and his latest, a single titled ‘Unanswered Questions’ displays exactly every bit of that, masterfully so.
A singer and songwriter based in the English town of Coventry, KANDA is a mere 19 years old and already developed enough as an artist to have a sound that is -I’d be forgiven to say- instantly recognizable. Based on his aggressive, Caribbean howls, KANDA’s ‘Unanswered Questions’ is a delightful blend of his restrained deliveries on the song’s bridges, and his explosive yelps on the choruses, between them a stark contrast is displayed, making each face of KANDA’s voice complement the other perfectly well.
Behind the spectacular vocals, culturally rich and well-balanced, KANDA is presenting us with a tear-jerker of a song that is synth-heavy, and with a deep, deep groove, with a medium slow tempo that would sound reasonable enough with The Weeknd’s voice on top of it. Far from being a copycat, KANDA’s representation of his Latin culture is beautifully calculated on his music, presenting songs that are not necessarily latin, but have so much of the genre’s particular sound for it to be a tangible part of the songs and their sonic identity.
‘Unanswered Questions’ is a musical dense meal that will leave your ears fulfilled with its melodies, its production, and its guitars, and with a touching composition and weighty lyrics, all is well with KANDA’s latest.