Photo by Steven Rosales
Los Angeles dark electronic artist Kanga returns with a sensuous tale of longing despite the fear of inviting in new love: “Magnolia.” Kanga’s usual style is to fuse influences as disparate as Kylie Minogue and Skinny Puppy, but this forlorn new track resides more in the synth-pop spectrum – channeling a softer, cozier Express Yourself-era Madonna with a side helping of Sadé.
Magnolia is a cliffhanger tale of self-love: it can be unsettling to make a true connection after a string of disappointments, and it can be hard to trust a good thing without the necessary time and space to process that trauma. Kanga’s lyrics lurk in the shadow of miscommunication, regret, and star-crossed fate all playing a role in those mental obstacles. Vulnerability is often the hardest barrier to penetrate, but with some time and patience, perhaps there is hope.
This slo-jam is illustrated by a video of Kanga waiting for that Big Love in an opulent, rosy, Golden Hollywood style boudoir.
About the video, KANGA says, “I wanted to try something new. I feel like I’ve sort of grown out of this morbid angsty phase, and maybe it’s because my music actually helped me through that. But now I have this desire to explore different worlds and see where this process takes me. Magnolia explores this hyper-femininity that I’m currently fascinated with. It’s wanting to be pretty and perfect and desirable, but also how that front can make it difficult to fully open up and let someone in. But it’s also nice to just wear pretty clothes and roll around on a plushy bed. Sometimes a girl just wants to feel pretty.”
Watch the video, directed by Steven Rosales, below:
You can listen to “Magnolia” here (via Artoffact Records) while Prince (or Princess) Charming waits by the drawbridge:
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, KANGA’s unique brand of underground dance-pop has been one of the hottest-tipped tickets since her debut record in 2016. Embraced by the darkwave community, as well as the heavy metal and emo kids, KANGA’s singles have been streamed millions of times, and she has been invited to tour with the likes of Gary Numan, The Black Queen, Uniform, and Kælan Mikla. Most recently, KANGA was tapped to provide vocals on the new Delerium record, slated for release in early 2023.
KANGA’s previous work focussed on pushing the boundaries of dark dance beats and pop sensibilities, propelled even further by her notoriously intimate and energetic live performances.
Coming off the heels of a year spent touring Europe and the US, KANGA has been in the studio recording a new album that marks a change in direction for her project. In collaboration with producers Josh Franks and Dave Adrounie, her forceful style has evolved into an intimate, poetic love letter to her listeners.
The first taste came last Fall with the audio debut of the new single “Magnolia” single, a song that combines complex melodies, atmospheric overtones, and emotional allegories all wrapped up by KANGA’s signature catchy hooks. Its elevation marks a pivotal moment in KANGA’s discography, opening itself up to a broader audience of listeners who will soon be entranced by a full album’s worth of sultry storytelling.
The new album is set to be released on Artoffact Records in late 2023 after a rollout of the tracks as singles throughout the year.
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