KCL and UCL band INKA release first EP – Kiss Me Away

 By Oscar Davies

FORMED from a mixture of KCL and UCL students,  INKA are a refreshingly talented new 5-piece who formed only three months ago and are releasing their fantastic debut EP on June 2.

INKA (previously called Rubin and the Groovy Tuesdays) controversially surpass the infamous rivalry between the two universities and thus serve as an incontrovertible beacon of love and peace.  They blend everything that is holy about hard-hitting alt-rock with hints of folk and incredible vocal harmonies that will send shivers down your spine. Without wanting to so bluntly categorise their sound at such an early stage in their career, think Alt-J and Parachutes era Coldplay mixed with Mumford & Sons and you’ve got a pretty good idea.

https://soundcloud.com/roobs/2-kiss-me-away

Their debut is really exciting and well polished. Recorded at the world famous Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, it has a real ebb and flow to it, the kind of record you can listen to uninterrupted from start to finish without getting bored.

It kicks off with the heavy track Five Stars, which dynamically is a journey in itself. From the hushed tones and haunting vocal harmonies of the chorus to the huge ending featuring an incredible Great Gig in the Sky–esque vocal scat, the journey concludes with frontman Rubin gently singing “Still five stars waiting for me to sing, will you know this wonderful thing? Will you hell.”

After an emphatic introduction comes the lead single from the EP, Kiss Me Away, which really emphasises their talent for using vocal harmonies effectively and in an interesting way. As well as two short tracks which fill out the record, Untitled and Lullaby, the final accolade is their anthemic, undeniably catchy track This Is Love, with a chorus hook that will have you singing all night long.

All in all, this is an EP that I would thoroughly recommend listening to once it is released, and it most certainly marks the beginnings of something wonderful for this talented bunch.

INKA’s EP launch party will be held on June 3 at the Doodle Bar in Battersea. Free entry, doors open at 7 pm.