Working on the production, sitting and working on a guitar tone or putting together a drum beat is part of writing for me … It’s changed my writing - it’s made me more ambitious in the way I arrange vocals because I think of it as instruments now.ĭC: What was the inspiration behind The Golden Echo? What snare you’re going to use has a very direct emotional response (for) people, even if they don’t know they’re feeling that. I see the production side of things as another instrument - not as an obstacle. I was the one cutting up all the beats, putting all the parts together, bringing musicians in and spending hours cutting up the things they laid down. K: I did produce on Vows as well, but on this one, I was far more technically involved. What’s going to be really interesting is for people to come and hear these songs live because they take on a very different life live … I think it gives them a new story when you hear them with the band.ĭC: How has being more involved with the production impacted your music? I wanted to have a tougher rhythm and bigger backbone. Kimbra: I made that first record in my bedroom, and I’m proud of that record, but I definitely wanted to push myself a lot more on this album. The Daily Californian: How would you describe the transition from Vows to The Golden Echo? Fresh out of a yoga class on a hot, sunny Wednesday in Los Angeles, the experimental artist took some time to speak with The Daily Californian over the phone about her tour and album. Consider her 2011 album, Vows, for which she wrote the majority of the songs in her bedroom. The up-and-coming New Zealand musician, best known for her part in Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” definitely aims to push the envelope on technical production.

Filled with R&B influenced beats, her sounds have gotten more technologically savvy in her sophomore album, which features a variety of artists ranging from Bilal to John Legend. Ditch the gloomy weather with a pair of headphones and Kimbra’s new album, The Golden Echo.

Kimbra album review