Today we’re introducing Kafka Tamura, a three piece named after a character from the book Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami. The blood stained photo above has to be one of the more visually disturbing band promo pics we've seen in a while. In fact visual aesthetic seems something that this trio take as seriously as the music – watch the arresting and beautifully effective video below which traces the path of an ever growing red ribbon birthing from their singer’s mouth to see what we mean.
Consisting of 1 Brit (Emma Dawkins) and 2 Germans (Patrick Bongers and Gabriel Häuser) Kafka Tamura is very much a band of our time, their formation not being by meeting at college or through friends, instead Patrick and Gabriel found Emma via the web on Soundcloud having messaged her when they were looking for a British vocalist to work with. Our discovery also owes much to the internet; even though Emma is based in Southampton, just a few miles down the road from our home city of Portsmouth, we discovered their songs via the world wide web, rather than the traditional method of catching the band at a local live show.
So what is their sound? It’s a subtle mix of lingering tranquil instrumentation with electronic beats combining with Emma’s sturdy but subtle contemplative vocal . There’s no instant pop thrill here; this is the musical equivalent of gradually wading out into the calm sea, with the journey becoming more worth it the longer you spend there. So take some time to enjoy Kafka Tamura and make sure you watch this simple but engaging video. Their debut EP Somewhere Else is out on iTunes now.
Kafka Tamura - Somewhere Else (Video)
