British newcomers Kila Kosa take us on a thrilling, nostalgic trip back to the good old days of 2000s alternative and metal. The band, who hail from London, Portsmouth, Bristol and Guildford, offer up a powerful DIY metalcore meets rap metal sound that they describe as “heavy, chaotic and intentional.”
The quintet started out with vocalist and producer Antoni Franco, who’d been in a few bands over the years without them really working out, going in search of bandmates who had the drive to make a success of their music. He didn’t know anyone who was into the same music, so he began looking at music universities’ Instagram followers and reaching out to those musicians. He eventually discovered guitarists Luke and Matt, bassist and backing vocalist Jacob and drummer Josh, who he soon realised all already knew each other. They played for a couple of years as Antoni’s solo project, but decided to make it a full-blown band last year.
On the sound they’ve crafted since, Antoni told us: “We’re always striving to make music that feels timeless and intentional. When you’re listening to KK, you’re getting the absolute best of what we have to offer. Our music is born out of 2000s metal/punk/alternative, all the good shit we grew up listening to, but we always like to make it approachable in some way, so there’s a lot of pop sensibilities in our music too.
“At our core, we’re super DIY (no nepo babies or industry plants here) and have worked really hard to put out the best possible music and visual content we can with what we have. We’ve made loads of amazing and talented friends who have helped us along the way, which we’re so grateful for. But everything that we’ve accomplished has been a graft, and we work as if it’s going to stay that way.”
Our first taste of this is Kila Kosa’s debut single Pulse, which was released in October. It opens up with whispery vocals over a light chugging riff, which intensifies alongside crushing drums before dropping Antoni’s intense vocals “I fucking hate you ’cause you’re fake, And I can’t trust a word you say no more, Filling up your pockets, Take take take till you can’t take no more, Act like it’s a problem when I speak up, Like it’s something wrong, Probably something going on behind the scenes but I don’t know.”
Chunky guitars kick in before feeding into a powerful chorus led by vicious vocals. Stabbing guitars return for a feisty verse, then a brief pause before diving into another breathless chorus. A little sample drops in, before a brutal conclusion with wild drums supporting deliciously heavy guitars and screamed vocals joined by a piercing synth sound that adds to the atmosphere.
On the track, Antoni said: “(The) Reception has been really good, people have really been enjoying the tune. The feedback we’ve had from live shows is something you don’t get anywhere else really, like it’s a good sign when people we don’t know are singing along, and they have only just discovered our music. It’s just been really great. The streaming numbers could be better, but it’s alright, we know that with time and getting ourselves in front of the right fans, the tune could do really well.
“For those who haven’t heard it yet, firstly, what are you playing at? Go listen right now! It’s a big hello from us to the world. It establishes who we are and how angry we are. It’s about getting one over on the people who aren’t listening to you. The pettiness and that childishness that you feel, what you would want to say in a perfect world to the people running the show, but no one can say or do anything about it. This track is a mirror of what we would like to say to them, if we had no holds barred.”
The band have followed that up with the intense Bodies, which was released at the end of last month. It dives into feisty, punky vocals over driving drums and guitars that drop into cool diving notes, before a cry of “But why the fuck would they listen if no one gives a shit” sets up an intense chorus. More wild guitars, including a cool plodding riff, come in, picking up pace in another heavy chorus that sees a piercing synth join in. The pace suddenly slows with spoken vocals before a moody breakdown with thick low-tuned slabs of guitar and cries of “Dead Sea, Fear me, I’m calling out, You don’t hear me, Save me, Save yourself” bringing it to a powerful end.
On the track, Antoni told us: “Bodies is a bit more of a gauntlet, especially at a show. It’s unrelenting and FAST. It’s a quick way to work up a sweat for both us and our audience. But the foundation of this new song is one that’s close to our hearts and goes a little deeper than being another song to fight each other to.
“I’m from an immigrant family on both sides, my mum is Kenyan Asian, and my Dad is Italian, so the topic of immigration and the narrative surrounding that has always got my back up. People, like many in my family, are risking their lives to migrate to the UK to escape conflict or leave a home that they don’t want to leave. There’s literally thousands of bodies in the sea, and no one cares. It’s easy to forget that these numbers are people, most of whom we don’t even know about, and they had a life. They had families. They could have been here, and they could have thrived. The simple fact is, if we were more accepting of others, people who are different, this situation could so easily be prevented.”
The Kila Kosa sound has been influenced by the likes of Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot and Korn, as well as more recent bands like Every Time I Die, Thrown and Graphic Nature. But the members listen to everything from “suuuper heavy stuff” through to pop and hip hop.
And on what inspires them to write music, Antoni explains: “I’m very much into storytelling and that opens up a lot of doors for me to write from different perspectives. A lot of the lyrics are political in some way or a commentary on something I notice going on socially at the time. It’s a good outlet for me to get those frustrations off my chest, when I feel helpless to do something about it in real life. That said, rhythm and groove are usually the first thing I think about when I’m writing. If you haven’t got a solid flow to the track, then you haven’t got anything. I think that sets us apart from a lot of other heavy bands, no one can bring the funk like us.”
There’s plenty more to come from Kila Kosa, who will be announcing a debut EP or album in the coming weeks. They’re also trying to book in gigs throughout the year, so lookout for opportunities to see their show in the flesh.
And Antoni added: “We’re building this project from the ground up, and really want to make something special and unique for metal fans to sink their teeth into. All we want is to be heard and to share this music with as many people as possible. It’s a really shit landscape for small bands and artists right now, so if you can, come to a show, grab some merch, chat to the band, share the music with your mates. Honestly, doing that for any band in the scene right now will mean more than you could imagine!”
You can follow Kila Kosa on Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Image credit: @ethnephoto
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