Brit indie band with string of hits announces they’ve SPLIT after ten years together
INDIE pop band Kawala have announced their decision to disband following a decade of creating music together.
The group shared the emotional news via Instagram, revealing their plans for a farewell tour in early 2025, which will act as a final celebration of their career.
The announcement follows a whirlwind 2024 where Kawala performed at major festivals across the UK and Europe, including Colors, Electric Castle, Pukkelpop, and a sold-out headline show at London’s OUTERNET.
The farewell tour will see the band playing their biggest venues yet; with dates in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Dublin, and the iconic Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, which has already sold out.
In their heartfelt statement, the band wrote: “After a near decade of Kawala, we have decided to make the truly heart-breaking decision that after our February tour, we will be hanging up our boots.
“There’s a world of reasons why we’ve landed here and believe us when we say we haven’t taken this decision lightly.”
They explained that they plan to share more details in the future but admitted to feeling “tired, a little burnt out, and desperately in need of a break in order to work out what the future holds”.
To mark the end of their journey, Kawala will release their final project, The Kawala Collection, on January 31, 2025.
The nine-track compilation features fan-favorite hits like American Adrenaline, What’s Up, Time Slipping Away, and Old Me.
It is meant to to showcase the band’s musical evolution and serve as a sonic retrospective of their best work.
Kawala emerged in 2015 as an acoustic duo featuring vocalist Jim Higson and guitarist plus singer Daniel McCarthy.
After studying music in Leeds, they returned to North London and expanded their lineup with lead guitarist Dan Lee, bassist Reeve Coulson, and drummer Ben Batten.
The group’s percussive indie-folk sound, complete with bright melodies and intricate harmonies, quickly earned them comparisons to Bombay Bicycle Club and Glass Animals.
Their breakthrough came in 2018 with the single Do It Like You Do, which became a streaming hit and led to appearances at festivals like Live at Leeds and The Great Escape.
Over the years they released multiple EPs, and in 2022 even dropped a major-label debut album, Better with You.
Their top song on Spotify has amassed over 26 million streams.
Devastated fans have expressed sadness at Kamala’s news, taking to Instagram with comments about how much the band’s music meant to them.
One person wrote: “I’m so sad. Did you cancel the Cologne date? I’m gonna cry for real.”
Another shared a heartfelt message, saying: “Wow, I’m so sad to read this. Your songs have paid a massive part in mine and my partners’ lives for the last 5 years!
“We found you by chance on a Spotify shuffle during lockdown and instantly fell in love. We have listened to your music on repeat since and really connect with the incredible harmonies, lyrics and vibes. To the point where your music was played on repeat during the birth of my son (it spoke so closely to my soul it actually got me through labour).
“You all have insane talent and I really hope your music continues to reach new people even if Kawala as we know it won’t. Best of luck.”
A third added: “Gutted. Thank you for the music fellas.”