Interview by Kris Peters
Australian rock outfit Kingswood are set for a massive 2023.
Not only are the band releasing their latest album Home on February 24, they are also embarking on a tour around the country which will see the boys perform over 100 shows and take them from the outback to the ocean in a mission that will take up more than half of the year.
After making a name for themselves based on pure rock sensibilities, Kingswood have allowed themselves to further explore the complexities of this genre on Home, introducing more acoustic guitar to complement additional vocal harmonies.
The result is nothing short of mesmerizing, with Kingswood displaying an alterior side to their musical personalities without straying too far from the sound that has made them a household name in their home country.
The tour is understandably the band's biggest, most ambitious run of shows yet, and will see Kingswood drive practically the whole way in a custom built touring bus built, as one would expect, by the band to suit individual touring needs.
Guitarist Alexander Laska sat down for a chat with HEAVY earlier this week, nestled comfortably in the second lounge section of what will be the band's home for more than six months.
"I cannot be more excited, to be honest," Laska beamed when asked about the upcoming album. "It's an album that's been in the works for the last three years - we've actually got a bunch of albums ready to go. We were very diligent in the COVID situation. All of this was done at the base of Mount Tamborine and we finished a little bit off in Nashville this last year when we were there for AmericanaFest. It's a big rock and roll album, it's an alt-country album, it's got lots of guitars. Everyone says that we've gone country, but we played Tamworth and everyone was like what's this rock and roll band doing here (laughs). We sort of stride the line between the two, but I would say it's a pretty guitar heavy album, to be honest. Put it this way, there's the most guitar solos we've ever had on this album and a lot of them are harmonised guitar solos, so what does that tell ya?"
To date Kingswood have released the single Burning Holes, with Laska shaking his head when asked if that song is a good sonic representation of what to expect from Home.
"Definitely not," he smiled. "Not at all. Burning Holes is probably the most tender moment and we released it because it was the oldest written and we wanted to come out... we like pulling left field moves, so in a cruel twist of fate we decided to release our acoustic ballad as our first single and then drop a rock and roll album in the follow up. Just to fuck with people, because we're sadistic or something. I don't know what's wrong with us (laughs). It's also a really good song, and we believed in the song so we thought why not."
In the full interview Alexander talks more about the song selection on Home, opening the album with an acoustic feel and why, having the album mixed in Nashville, the new musical journey of the band as outlined in the press release, their recent tour of Europe and the U.S.A, the upcoming Home Towns Tour and how they plan to survive, what to expect from the shows, slumming it in the tour bus and more.