Kyla and Max met by chance, and their first studio session birthed the track, ‘Break Through’ - a trip-hoppy meditation on breaking cycles and learning to be gentle with yourself when you inevitably fall back into them. “It was by chance,” Kyla says, “and yet it’s led to so many beautiful things.” The track sets the tone for the rest of the record: grounded but expansive, calm but defiant, built from that shared instinct to turn feeling into sound.
With ‘Frustration’, the tempo simmers. Kyla channels anger into rhythm, Spanish-tinged percussion dances across a hip-hop beat, her voice shifting from silk to steel. “I was angry with myself,” she recalls, “but we just channelled it all into music and came out with this lovely piece.” It’s catharsis rendered in sound, the tension of emotion made tangible through breathy harmonies and bossa nova textures.
On ‘Stay Calm’, the pace slows to a deep exhale. Written as a personal mantra to manage anxiety, it’s tender and grounding, a reminder to come back to the body, to use your senses to steady the noise. Kyla’s voice moves like water over Max’s stripped-back production, the space between each sound deliberate and soothing. “It keeps me calm and serene,” she says simply, and the song does the same for anyone listening.
‘MOOD’ carries that emotional honesty into sharper focus. A song born from friendship, heartbreak, and the ache of realising someone wasn’t who you hoped they’d be. “It broke me more than any romantic relationship I’ve ever had,” Kyla admits. The result is a cinematic blend of moody strings and introspective lyricism, a balance of strength and vulnerability that both artists lean into naturally. “It started with a melody,” Max says, “but after a few revisions, Kyla wrote something incredible around it.”
When ‘Take My Time’ arrives, the duo ease listeners into a world of patience and presence - an airy garage groove threaded with Kyla’s soft, effortless vocals. It’s a song about moving at your own pace, refusing to measure your worth against the speed of others. “It’s fun and upbeat,” she explains, “but it still holds that message of bravery, of not caring what anyone else thinks.” Max’s production keeps things clean and propulsive, layers of strings rising and folding back into motion.
Across ‘Sip & Wonder’, Kyla and Max craft a world that’s equal parts intimate and expansive, music that feels like a conversation between two people learning, healing, and experimenting in real time. It’s the sound of patience rewarded, of lessons learned and cycles broken. A gentle reminder that taking your time is sometimes the fastest way to grow.
Tru Thoughts heard about this music through BandLab Technologies (BandLab/ReverbNation) through an artist submission campaign via Opportunities, and BandLab/ReverbNation are supporting this release.
Tracklist:
1. Break Through
2. Frustration
3. Stay Calm
4. MOOD
5. Take My Time
