Kanadia

In a fast-paced world of social media skits and the demand for instant gratification, Oxford quartet Kanadia are bucking the trends and embracing the belief that music should be a deep-rooted, all-encompassing experience.

The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home – the band’s third album – is an immensely proficient masterpiece that captures perfectly the fragility and beauty of human emotion.

Kanadia have written a 12-song album showcasing an abundance of dreamlike, luscious, rich soundscapes, massive hooks, and haunting melodies throughout its expansive 50-minute journey.

Thematically, the album focuses on the complexities of mental health, anxiety, life experiences, relationships and coping mechanisms. Concepts that were introduced on Kanadia’s 2022 release June are now fully realised with focus and aplomb, through a slow and organic writing process that began during the pandemic.

The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home explores chief songwriter, guitarist/ vocalist James Bettis’ soul-searching about his place in life; reflecting on the past, the present and the unknown while dealing with severe anxieties.

“I think life can get so overwhelming for me; I get so lost,” explains James. “And then there are moments when I have a breakthrough musically and I can express something. It sounds like a cliché, but music is the only thing that makes sense, grounds me, and it can heal me temporarily. I feel like I have a purpose through doing that; it's quite powerful how music works that way.

“Overall, even though there are darker subject matters, I think the album feels more positive; there's an acceptance which is different for me, because normally it's always been quite a negative take,” explains James. “I feel this is a cleansing of the previous record, a more positive take; a light at the end of the tunnel… almost.”

With The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home, Kanadia are embracing the rich heritage of music from their adopted city and are primed to take their place alongside the alternative greats in modern music.

‘I’m Falling’, the brooding six-minute album opener, touches on the theme of agoraphobia, while sonically its atmospheric layers of Moog and electronics are reminiscent of TV On The Radio and LCD Soundsystem; ‘The Ways’, which explores an acceptance of life and the cards dealt, is reminiscent of the Stone Roses’ ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ with its 90s shoegaze vibe; while ‘I Can't Feel The Sunlight’ is a War On Drugs-esque reflection of James’ time of feeling dishevelled at the start of a new day after all-night writing sessions.

Meanwhile, the album’s first single ‘Going Nowhere’ sees Kanadia at their most dynamic and attention grabbing, while James describes the upbeat ‘Too Late Now’ as the album’s focal point and his pièce de résistance.

“It’s about the cost of what you're trying to pursue in life. For me it's the band and a career in music and it's been so many years of my life. For me the journey started when I was 10, when I first heard Nirvana and I was like, ‘that's what I want to do’.”

Recorded at Oxford’s Evolution Recording Studios (where Radiohead’s Philip Selway records his solo albums) by Chris Barker (guitarist with BBC6 Music-approved troubadour Willie J. Healey), the album was mixed by Tom Leach at Snap Studios, London.

The Fire That’s Tearing Through Our Home marks significant growth and progression for Kanadia and the addition of new bassist, Brazilian-born Everton Barbato is, says James, a “significant, positive shift in the whole dynamic of the band”.

Indeed the line-up change and the traumatic times that surrounded the change are reflected in the title track which closes the album with a beautiful intensity.

“That's probably the most personal song on the album,” says James. “That was written when I was at an absolute low and the band was in that really bad spot.

“I just love the phrase, the fire that's tearing through our home, because I just felt like the home was the band and it was all being ripped apart. I was using imagery to talk about how things had gone to shit and didn’t want it to, I want to hold on to the pieces.”

Growing up in Ilfracombe, Devon, James and long-term friend and Kanadia synth/ keys player Melissa Marshall, spent a number of years travelling and exploring the world together, before the duo moved to Oxford. Finding Tim Lucas (drums) and (former) bassist Jack Ashworth, the quartet began their musical journey.

Quickly gaining traction in their newfound home city, and support from music editor and tastemaker Ronan Munro – an early champion of Radiohead and Foals – Kanadia played a sold-out Oxford’s O2 Academy upon the release of their 2019 self-titled debut album. Swiftly followed-up with June, a sold-out show at the legendary Bullingdon Arms, and copious Spotify playlist additions took the Kanadia name out to a worldwide demographic. And now, with the third opus, Kanadia are ready to step out and make even more waves.

“I believe in the record because it's so personal to me,” smiles James. “We've worked hard on it, I think it's way more interesting and mature than our previous records, and I think it deserves to be heard by people.”

KANADIA is:

James Bettis (guitar/ vocals)

Tim Lucas (drums)

Melissa Marshall (synths/ keys)

Everton Barbato (bass)