Eyeball to Eyeball with Kane & James on “Wander” [Single Premiere]
“We both came up with the band name,” joked Kane and James Marady about their eponymous music project Kane & James. “It obviously took an insane amount of thought.”
Wormbrain spoke to the band of literal brothers based in Millstone, New Jersey about what it’s like to be songwriting siblings, how they got their start, their upcoming self-titled album Kane & James out December 30th, 2022 via Good Eye Records, and its third single “Wander.” The pair chose to answer together, fitting for their strong family link, speaking in a harmonic unison when answering and graciously sharing the new track two days early exclusively with Wormbrain World.
“[It has the] vague concept of a person who is coming to grips with losing someone close to them,” they told Wormbrain about the characters at play in the song’s lyrics. “Sometimes you’re left with nothing but yourself and your thoughts, and you’re forced to wander on and on in search of something, even when you might not know what that something is.”
Listen to the drifting, daydreaming Kane & James single “Wander” below only on Wormbrain World:
Photo courtesy of the band.
“Sometimes you’re left with nothing but yourself and your thoughts, and you’re forced to wander on and on in search of something, even when you might not know what that something is”
“Wander” follows the dewy-eyed duo’s first two singles “Forever” and “Fallin’” from their self-titled debut LP, further emboldening their sentimental sound. The project is in its salad days, but Kane & James could convincingly pass as a band you’d find (and actually enjoy) in the stack of old records you inherit from your cool uncle. There is no tongue-in-cheek about their aesthetic, no cartoonish tribute to a ‘60s/’70s sound, but when you click play on their music you can almost hear the ring-wear on the physical LP jacket.
“We don’t necessarily try to sound old or like something from the past,” the brothers told Wormbrain, “but we thoroughly enjoy using older, mostly analog equipment — old mics, multitrack cassette recorders, etc. It just gives it a hotter sound. We’re big fans of Bee Gees, Simon & Garfunkel, Cream, Paul McCartney, and Yes, just to name a few.”
“Jimmy usually comes forward with a riff, single verse and chorus. Kane will usually break out the notebook and organize the song and get it fully written out and ready to record.” On the process of collaborating, Kane and older brother James (or Jimmy) said, “We’ve been playing together in various groups over the last fifteen or so years.”
“We write eyeball to eyeball as Lennon would say.” Lennon who?
“We both came up with the band name — it obviously took an insane amount of thought...”
Photo courtesy of the band.
Photo courtesy of the band.
W.W: What is Wormbrain?
K&J: The blessed one.
W.W: Thank you for sharing with Wormbrain.
Kane & James’ new single “Wander” will be out everywhere officially on December 16th, 2022 via Beacon, NY label Good Eye Records.
