Water Running is the first taste of Kingfisha’s forthcoming second album, which follows 2012’s self-titled debut. Bearing semblance to the likes of Fat Freddy’s Drop and Trinity Roots, the band’s debut brims with charismatic reggae tracks and mellow jams, all of which are capable of getting bodies on the dance floor. Green assures us LP two isn’t far off.
“It’s definitely going to drop next year mate,” he says. “I can confirm that. Hopefully by March, or April, or May. We want to take our time to make it right. Talking about the sound of the record, it’s not a huge departure sonically. We are using different producers this time around for each separate song and I think that in effect that will elicit a unique vibe to this album. Water Running is the first taste that we have offered up and everyone seems to be getting around that, so that’s positive for next year definitely.”
For the time being, we can expect to hear new music at their AWME showcase and appearance at Queenscliff Music Festival later in the month. If you’re yet to experience the all-inclusive dance party that is a Kingfisha live show, you’re missing out. They give 110% in order to present a highly infectious and energetic stage show.
“I think it’s about a 60/40 mix of new to older tracks,” says Green. “We haven’t been down south for a while now, so in saying that it’s great to play some of the older stuff too.”
A key difference between Kingfisha and the new, as-yet-untitled album is that the majority of newer tracks were penned by frontman Anthony Forrest, where previously the whole band got involved in the songwriting. “He wrote bass lines, chord progressions and a lot of the melodies this time around,” says Green. “Lyrically, the album is all about maintaining long term relationships and keeping energy and flow in a relationship. I just made that up right there on the spot – I don’t know whether that’s what Anthony was intending at all, but it’s how the songs speak to me. It sounds like a great lyrical concept to run with in future publicity though, doesn’t it?”
While Green promises the new album will arrive early next year, it’s still only about 60 per cent completed. The goal is to have it finished by Christmas so they can start 2016 with a bang. Although Kingfisha haven’t reached rock star status just yet, the new release will see the band head back to the US and Canada; locales that have been extremely kind to them over the years.
Before that though, they’re hitting up this month’s Queenscliff Music Festival, alongside Angus & Julia Stone, Paul Dempsey and the Hoodoo Gurus. “We are really looking forward to it because it’s wonderful to get out of your hometown and down to places that haven’t heard us that much. The tunes feel a lot more organic and fresher and I have never been down to that part of the world. We are also thrilled to be at AWME a few weeks before, so November is going to be a big month for us. The lineup for Queenscliff is mad, so we are going to make a weekend of it. See you at the bar.”
BY TEX MILLER
