Kahnin’s network at first seems otherworldly, but then you listen to his music and things start taking shape. Kahnin’s success is not because he plays with the guitar player for the likes of Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus, or that the drummer for Adele and Rod Stewart is present on his singles, Kahnin’s success is because he has a vision and a direction, and a knack for songwriting that can break through the clouds of a rainy day, and he does exactly that on his latest single ‘Go Kart’.
Based in Keflavik, Iceland, Kahnin makes music that, like most Icelandic musicians, is rich and ripe with intention. Go Kart is a song about celebrating life’s small moments, and about the importance of maintaining one’s youthful view on life, and the lyrics are set on top of a jubilant, bright, and optimistic instrumental that sounds deliciously crisp, courtesy of an amazing production job from Jimmy Deer, who has worked with Wiz Khalifa and Seal on his portfolio. Go Kart’s defining acoustic guitar riff sounds fantastic. Percussive and snappy, EQed to perfection. Also, EQed to perfection is the tight, grooving drum part, and the juicy bass line, which is effective, melodic, and present, while being on the simpler and sparser side. The star of the show might be (next to the beautiful and joyful composition) the army of electric guitars that Leo Abrahams bring, being the one responsible for the vast majority of sounds on this song, knowing that no synthesizers were used anywhere on the song, that’s all Leo’s guitars. Leo’s resume is frankly intimidating, with work with Miley Cyrus, Talking Head, and Harry Styles present on it… and that’s just a few. Go Kart is a beautiful song all around.
It’s very refreshing coming across an artist that’s taking the conscious choice to look at the positives for a change. As things have become drearier indeed in the past years, Go Kart is a welcome change, and it helps that it is executed lovingly and masterfully. Go Kart should definitely be on your radar.
