Kiven
Los Angeles quartet KIVEN has set February 25th as the release date for its long-awaited self-titled full-length debut. The album will be available through iTunes and other digital retailers as well as on the band's official web site www.kivenmusic.com.
KIVEN is Tyler Demorest [Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard], Matt Cohen [Bass], Danny Schnair [Guitar], and Jake Reed [Drums].
Merging thick guitars and entrancing harmonies, the record properly captures the group's heavy and hypnotic sound, preserving its enigmatic intensity and ethereal spirit in the process.
KIVEN manages to make history with one stand out track, "I Can Take It". For the first time, the drummer/man behind At The Drive-In's arrangements, Tony Hajjar, stepped behind the board to produce an outside band. With the legendary drummer's help, the group taps into palpable and potent energy. The energy transfers across the entire tracklisting though, especially on the undeniable first single "In The Fire", premiering online very soon.
About the album, vocalist, guitarist, and keyboardist Tyler Demorest exclaims, "We spent a lot of time writing songs that were our sound and, at the same time, grew what KIVEN is. Tony had a big impact on the music. It was a trip to work with someone that we looked up to growing up. He really brought the heavy and energy, adding a big rock vibe. He pulled that out of us."
The band gave me some music and I responded about how much I loved "I Can Take It." Our conversation just kept going from there. I saw so much promise in the record, but we only found time to work on one song. We had such an easy back and forth on ideas, and we had pretty much the same vision to where the song needed to be. Working together on this song proved to be as all music should be: really easy, really smooth, and super energetic. Tony Hajjar
The album was recorded at EastWest Studios and Pie Town at MixLA.
Guitarist Danny Schnair adds, "It was a pretty organic process. We focused on creating something bigger and harder-hitting. My fingers were literally bleeding in the studio. This is really the best introduction to who we are."
It's a fitting follow-up to the group's acclaimed 2012 EP. That release spawned the single "Hope & Smoke" which turned heads online and at college radio. After a powerful performance at CMJ, Entertainment Weekly named them the #2 "Great Indie Discovery of CMJ".
Kiven was featured in 2013 as BMI's Indie Spotlight Artist and headlined for Chris Douridas from KCRW School Night! in Los Angeles.