The best art has always been created in response to the events occurring around it, as perceived by the artist. Nowhere has this been more true than in music, and it is becoming increasingly visible even in the most contemporary music styles, such as pop rock, and in the case of Kallai, whatever name you give to that place where shoegaze, dream pop, and alternative rock all collide.
We Are Forever, the new album from the band, feels like an obvious and honest reaction to the dark clouds that are gathering and drawing ever closer on our collective horizons. With this album, they give us eight songs that deal in opposites – looking for hope in the political chaos, beauty in the people around us, salvation in connectivity, a new lease of life through self-awareness, and light in the darkness.
“Amor Occidit Omnia” is a reminder of what brilliant and beguiling music they weave together, unexpectedly delicate, chiming guitar interwoven through more brutal walls of noise, harmonies are extracted from the haze, and melody is garnered from the musical muscle.
“Another World” sees the band using that same songwriting dexterity to create lighter, lush, and more liberating sounds. “The Wave” is an incredible journey between ever-changing dynamics, running between shimmering lulls and soaring crescendos, and “As Night Falls” is somehow both understated and majestic.
These are not just songs of protest for the sake of it; these are songs that have come about through lived experience. This is not just rhetoric or sloganeering; it is the story of people’s lives, personal narratives put to music to help others find strength and illuminate the world around us.
Music has always been a great sounding board, a reflection of people’s lives, and a message for others to take heed of or hope from. From rock and roll to hip-hop to punk, and thankfully, with bands like Kallai, such ability to communicate with the wider world remains a skill that the musical community still possesses in no small amount.
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