Interview with COASTL WOLF & review of his impressive debut EP Koko!

Singer-songwriter COASTLWOLF’s first single ‘2 am (In the Valley)’ has been a breakaway internet hit, clocking up impressive plays on soundcloud and building him a loyal fanbase (the #wolfpack). The track is a smooth interpretation of classic r&b styles with blasts of mellow electronic influences that give it a real edge. WOLF is blessed with a truly beautiful voice with vocals that are reminiscent of Justin Timberlake’s smooth delivery and brilliant control of pitch. With a touch more bite though, especially in the acoustic version of the track, which shows this dude needs no auto tune. The quality of this first release was just a taste of things to come, as I sat down to review the EP I was shocked by the awesome production and heart that flowed throughout the tracks. Good r&b is rare even from established artists with massive studio backing, so for a new comer to come with such heat and talent was more than a pleasant surprise.

The eponymous track 'Koko' introduces the five track EP with an optimistic reflection on new beginnings and chasing your dreams.With a deep rolling beat and catchy hook it already sounds like a hit that needs radio airplay. While, 'Obsessions' and 'Shiver', have that La Roux factor- mixing incredibly funky dance music with strong yet vulnerable vocals breaking through. While the rock anthem riffs and melodic break downs of 'Criminal' make it a real turn it up tune.

Koko is an incredibly impressive EP, to hear such top quality production, inventive composition and so versatile voice on a first solo release is very rare. With the release of Koko it seems it is just the beginning for COASTLWOLF, so I caught up with him to find out more about the man behind the music:

 Interview:

1.      Congratulations on the EP coming out, how does it feel to be finally able to share it with fans?

CW: It's a truly incredible yet vulnerable feeling for me. I wrote this EP about the things I went through after moving to California last year so it's all real, raw material. This is also my first release as a solo artist in years so there's always those nerves of hoping people will accept it and be able to vibe with it.

2.      You quit your job and bought a one way ticket to LA to pursue your dreams, how scary was it taking that leap of faith? What inspired you to do it?

CW: There's nothing scarier than the unknown and there was definitely a brief moment of time where I was scared shitless on that plane leaving behind everything comfortable but the second I landed in LA I knew this was the beginning of the rest of my life. What inspired me the most was just my own beliefs of life being too short to not chase the things that make your soul happy. 

3.      Was music something you always knew you wanted to pursue?

For as long as I can remember music was always the thing I would turn too when I needed an escape so yeah I'd say this was always my dream and passion

4.      You’ve been very connected to your fan base from the beginning, is it important to you as an artist to stay engaged with your fans?

CW: It's still a bizarre concept to me that people love my music and support it. I'm so grateful for that but truth be told I don't look at them as fans. To me were all just one big group of people all vibing out to the same tubes. They're my #wolfpack and I love every one of them 

5.      What advice would you give anybody thinking of getting into music or writing?

CW: If you can't put 100 percent of your body, mind and soul into it than don't do it. 

6.      Which artists inspired you growing up or made you really connect with music?

CW: I'll never forget being 5 years old heading Michael Jackson for the first time. Even as a kid I knew how mind blowing his writing and just whole being was. Ever since that day he has been the biggest musical inspiration for me.

7.      Who would be your dream artists to collaborate with?

CW: My inspirations and writing styles are always changing but Currently I'm really into Stephen, Jon Bellion, the weeknd and Timberlake. I feel like we would lol make some fire music if we were all in the same room

8.      Who are you listening to right now? Recommend our readers some music!

CW: Im gonna have to go and drop Jon Bellions new record. It is straight fire. As well as Stephen. I'm all about that modern production with pop sensible vocal melodies. 

9.      I love both versions of 2 am- they give very different but equally powerful experiences of the lyrics- can we expect more acoustic versions or tracks in the future?

 CW: I'm thinking of releasing acoustic videos for each of the singles on my EP. I want to show everybody that I don't need all that production and there's something so genuine about a voice and acoustic guitar telling the story of a song.

 10.   You’ve said before your tracks all come from experiences you’ve had, is this EP really personal to you?

CW: This EP is definitely personal to me. I've been writing songs for years but never really wrote things specifically about a certain moment or experience I went through. Every song on this cd tells a specific story of something I've been through over the last few months.

11.   Any other projects we need to keep an eye out for? And tell the people where they can get Koko!

CW: Currently this COASTLWOLF project is all I got on my mind. I'm going to ride this wave as long as I can and hopefully in the next few months start touring and traveling this country with my music.
(K O K O will be available on Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, Tidal on July 1st!)

You can follow COASTLWOLF on Twitter, Facebook 
or find out more on his official website.