Introducing: Yuna Kil

Swedish alternative artist Yuna Kil has crafted a rage-fuelled experimental sound that blends heavy rock and metal influences with synths and electronica in a sound that she describes as “angry, honest and explosive.”

Yuna Kil, who was born and raised in the north of Sweden and is now based in Malmö, grew up on metal and alt-rock and experimented with a wide range of genres and instruments when she was growing up. But nothing quite felt right until, in her words, she “embraced her true music identity” by creating heavier music. “Pouring out my frustration and anger through explosive riffs and distorted vocals felt honest,” Luna told us. “It came straight from my heart, and for the first time ever, I created something that I truly loved.”

And on the sound she’s created, Luna told us: “I always describe my music as alternative, electronic metal. Catchy, but also unpredictable. Expect bold guitar riffs, layers of distorted synths, heavy bass, and a mix of electronic and acoustic drums. I like to experiment with my vocals, using whispers, screams, autotune, anything that fits the mood. My sound draws from a wide range of influences: nu-metal, metalcore, prog-metal, pop, grunge, classical, you name it.”

Our latest taste of this is Yuna Kil’s fourth single, Burn me to the Ground, which was released last week. It opens up with lively stabbing synths that give way to chunky guitar chords, which are joined by funky synth stabs. A thick bassline kicks in as Yuna’s engaging vocals take over alongside pulsing synth sounds, before the vocals intensify with repeats of “When we all go to hell I would do it all over again.” That feeds into a quick chorus “Take me down, I should be burnt to the ground,” which drops back into an edgier second verse. A little guitar lick bridges into funky electronic sounds, joined by stabs of guitar, to set up a big electronic chorus. Heavier guitars come in over a cool synth sound to bring the track to a lively conclusion.

On the track, Luna told us: “It felt incredibly exciting to finally share Burn me to the Ground! I’ve been working on it for a long time, honestly, probably too long for my own good. I tend to be a perfectionist and get stuck in the details. But I’m so proud of the result, and it makes me so happy that others understand and appreciate my vision. It truly means everything. 

“If you haven’t listened yet, you’re in for a real explosion of distorted electronics, hooky riffs, and angry vocals. Burn me to the Ground is about the darker side of humanity: nasty creatures hungry for attention and validation, willing to step on others for power and recognition.”

That follows on from the equally dark and moody wth would girls be living for?, released back in August, which halfway through drops into an intense mix of heavy synth and bass teeing up a heavy outro. We especially love last year’s second single Cycle, which sees a heavy electronic intro drop into engaging vocals before a rhythmic guitar riff. Fast-paced vocals build the intensity then, midway through, it winds to a stop before a fun darting riff kicks in and explodes into a vicious scream and a heavy breakdown teeing up a powerful conclusion.

That followed on from Yuna Kil’s debut single Gumdrop, which opens up with engaging vocals and a cool little riff that drop into a fun opening verse. That drops into a lively chorus “Licking that gumdrop seven days a week, no revision, Keep on getting that sugar in your system, I′ll be jaded, too degraded, I should just let it go, You be steaming like a hot shot never on a break, out of breath, Every day’s the weekend, Kinda sad you′re going mad, It exploded, get reloaded, Gotta taste the flavour of that cool kid life.”

The Yuna Kil sound has been heavily influenced by Calva Louise, who’s a big reason why Yuna started making heavier music. She also loves Wargasm UK and is a huge fan of Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. And, on what inspires her to write music, Yuna told us: “I write about anything that frustrates me and things that make me angry or anxious, both in the world and in everyday life. Instead of letting those feelings control me, I channel them into music and lyrics. I try to turn everything that’s hard into inspiration for creating, which makes it easier to handle.”

There’s plenty more to come from Yuna Kil, who has much more music in the making that she can’t wait to finish and share. Her dream is to release and EP or album that she can then take on tour with live shows.

“I’m lucky to have incredibly talented musicians as my best friends, so my live band is going to be epic,” Yuna told us “I’ve also just entered an exciting new phase, studying music production, so it’s going to be all about finding the balance between student life and being an artist!

“I talk a lot about anger, and I look kind of scary in my visuals, but I’m actually very friendly! Please reach out in my DMs if you like my music and want to have a chat. I truly appreciate everyone taking the time to check out my music.”

You can follow Yuna Kil on Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music Soundcloud and YouTube.