It’s been just about two years since The River Gold was released. Now, KRNA is just about ready to take a step into a new phase and are about to release a brand new single called “In Time” to start it off. While there surely have been interesting ups and downs (and a lot of fun along the way) in the years since The River Gold launched, we’re super excited about what KRNA has in store for us in their next phase.
We ask KRNA five questions about their experiences with The River Gold and about their upcoming single “In Time”. Here’s what they have to say.
What have you been up to since The River Gold was released?
Francis: We played a handful of shows in small venues to promote our material. We got a chance to release a music video for our song “The One”. After all the gigs, we got a chance to sit back and come up with some ideas for new material.
KC: We’ve had unforgettable experiences happen sporadically in the past two years because of The River Gold EP. Aside from our mini PH tour where we got to perform at some cool and legendary indie venues in Manila, Cebu, and around Northern Mindanao, we have also been invited to some amazing festivals around the Philippines because of it. Last December 2019, we released a new music video for our song “The One” which was really fun to make. Now we’re finally releasing new music since The River Gold EP.
What was the most fun part of your “The River Gold” era? Any takeaways or interesting lessons you learned in that period?
Francis: Witnessing how people responded to our songs and mingling with other artists was the most fun part. The lesson I’ve learned after 2 years with The River Gold is we still have a lot potential to tap into and a lot of work to do to bring our music to another level.
KC: Experiencing new things like playing outside our hometown and meeting a lot of new friends and musical peers. Seeing/hearing our songs as soundtracks on films was also surreal. Acknowledgement of our music in any form is always very overwhelming when it comes.
Also learned a lot of interesting things on the DIY band management side of things. Encountered some who would go out of their way to make us feel small, but at the same time, met more who were kind, genuine, and inclusive to everyone in the Philippines with good music. People who noticed us and took us in despite the distance and music scene naïveté. Main take away is to always be humble enough to ask to be taught. Don’t be afraid to keep evolving/expanding your musical influences and thank God for our jobs for supporting our music! Finish school, kids. Haha.
Marc: It was cool seeing people’s reactions the first time our music video for “Wide Eyes” came out. We didn’t expect the video to reach people outside CDO. There were even some known music scene people who shared the video which I thought was awesome. Never stop learning, improving on your craft.
How did your upcoming track “In Time” come about?
Francis: It was a song written by KC that tickled our imagination. It took us months to finalize the structure and arrangements with a lot of trial and error until we finally found the middle ground we were all happy with. Its a pretty much a typical process in a band of composers.
KC: The emotion behind the songwriting was inspired by a friend’s experience. And a little bit of mine, I guess. My coping mechanism of imagining a day in the future where the present difficulties are nothing more than distant memories. The song is very timely, too, given our present Pandemic condition.
Marc: This was one of the newer songs. While trying to piece together older tracks, we sometimes start a new idea and when we suddenly get that flow going, we try to finish before going back to old projects as our time together jamming to songs are usually limited.
Anything new you tried in writing and producing this track compared to how you approached “The River Gold”?
KC: We recorded, produced, mixed and mastered the song all by ourselves which was scary but exciting.
Francis: In my experience, we treated the production process more like an empty canvass the band can paint ideas into rather than a photograph of what we wanted to express.
It was our first time to do the production process all by ourselves. We did all the arrangements, recording, and post-production in a small rehearsal space we rented. Over time, we acquired a lot of tools and experiences to expand our music sonically.
Marc: We tried to make this song more upbeat and a bit heavier than our last material so it’s interesting to see how people will respond.
Anything we should be excited about in the near future?
Francis: This song is a glimpse at where we’re taking our music and we hope it will be part of something bigger.
KC: Hopefully more released songs and more gigs near you! Experimenting also with new sounds and approaches. An LP is definitely on the horizon within the next 2 years.
Marc: The newer songs are a bit different with a new vibe to them so hopefully people will enjoy it which is also exciting for us.
Listen to The River Gold EP here, or hear and see more of KRNA’s music and videos here. Subscribe to our mailing list to get an instant update when KRNA’s new track “In Time” is out!