Live Review: TRACK BY TRACK: Kuren on 'Love Lost' EP

With the wave of outstanding electronic music coming out of Australia right now showing no signs of slowing down, the bar is continually raised as more and more artists come out of nowhere with a jaw-dropping track. The latest artist to knock it completely out of the park is 17-year-old KUREN (aka Curtis Kennedy), who hails from regional NSW.

Although the population of his hometown is just 1500, Kuren has managed to harness a sound for himself that sounds worldwide. Drawing on influences from the likes of Flume and Ta-Ku, it seems like Kuren has been hard at work studying the forefathers of the "Australian sound", and is now using it to his advantage.

Totally blowing us away with his recent single 'It Still Hurts', we are now so excited to share with you the PREMIERE of his debut EP, Love Lost. Five tracks (and an extra bonus one) in total, Kuren lays his cards on the table with this record for everyone to see, and the results are more than enjoyable to say the least. Because we were just so excited, we even managed to get him to say a few words about each song.

Remember the name Kuren, Australia; you will soon be seeing it everywhere!

'Love Lost'

"This track is the intro. It represents where it all began and how I was feeling at the time. In early stages I was confused, but towards the end I became more aggressive to what was happening around me. I wanted the track to take people on a journey. So used Melo pads and arps to create that. The entire song is a huge build. I used samples of dramatic drums to capture more emotion. I am really proud of how this has turned out."

'It Still Hurts'

"No matter how hard we try to forget these feelings our situation keeps us broken. During the time of heartbreak you can do anything to clear your mind, not let the pain phase you. But we all know when you lay down at night about to sleep.. it crosses your mind and it does still

hurt. Over the time of making this EP, this track has had the closest attention. The hi-hats over the drop were actually recorded on my iPhone and I was playing the hi-hats from my school's drum set. I later took what I recorded and sampled it in session to capture a raw hi-hat feel. The leady (sic) arp sound is what really drives the track. Under it a nice base and kick drum to hit perfectly."

'Come Back'

"This is the grieving stage. The want. It becomes something much bigger than you and your thought process. All you want is that feeling again, all you crave is happiness and you feel at the time the only way to achieve that is having what was lost back yet again. I wanted a really minimal sound. It took me quite a while to get the pluck synth to work with the melody. But in the end we got there and topped it off with some chill drum loops. I am really proud of this one and it's my favourite track on the EP."

'I Miss You'

"An inceptive feeling towards you. This track is based around juxtaposition. On the right hand we miss our memories. We miss the touch, smell and cute things we did together. But on the left all of those feelings and emotions haunt us because it reminds us of pain and grieve. We miss it but also want to push it away. This track is also very minimal. I wanted this one to be something people wouldn’t expect from me. I mostly focused on my drums and percussion in this track but the Melo background pads are what really make it amazing."

'Recovery'

"The title speaks for itself but, is perhaps the most important title. Our goal once reaching this heartbreak is to recover. To be able to say ‘it's okay, I'm fine now’ is something you should not take for granted. Heartbreak will leave you so misplaced in the world, you would think that recovery does not exist. You’re wrong. It does, but we have to find recovery. And once you are past that stage you are changed. I can guarantee that. The first draft was originally written for a group called ‘Adira Belle’. I decided to put it aside for me and finished it for the EP. The drums are the element that really stands out gives the piece life. My piano melody first came about when I was trying to recreate the piano from Allday’s ‘Always Know The DJ’. I messed around with it and this is what it turned into."

'See You Again (Bonus)'

"This instrumental piece was originally a remix for a good friend of mine, Narly. My favourite thing about it are the snares. I work at an IGA where I live in my town. I was at work and heard the sound of our back shed door close. It sounded neat so I recorded it on my phone. Then I layered the door sample with a clap and nice trap snare. It gives the piece such a fresh (new-born) feel. I decided to include this track in the EP because it represents a possibility. In that many can interpret in a-lot of different ways. In my circumstance we don't hate each other. We still talk to each other and don’t avoid each other. We are fixed, and for the right reasons. Some are different though. Never underestimate the power of love."

Words by Emma Jones

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO:

KUREN 'IT STILL HURTS'